Unfogging the Future
by Acciosnuffles
Summary: A Hogwarts professor becomes a target for Voldemort, who believes she has a talent that will benefit his cause. Dumbledore convinces her to take refuge at Grimmauld Place. The owner, however, is not happy about this intrusion. SBOC, AU, rated M.
1. Prologue: Your Heart is Good

_A/N: I'm still writing the other story, but the idea for this one has been swimming around for a while now. Hopefully I can work on the two concurrently and finish the other one up before long. Anyway, this is a completely different OC and situation, so we'll see where it goes. Please read/review and let me know what you think! I'll try to have the next chapter of both stories up soon, if possible. _

_**Disclaimer: **__**Harry Potter characters are the property of JK Rowling and rights-holders, of which I am not one. I make no money off this.**_

"Sirius? I know something about you," the woman said softly. She leaned over to get closer to the boy, who was ignoring everyone and reading a book. He looked up warily, wondering what she wanted.

"You're a good boy. Your heart is good. I can see it. I've seen you before, many times. I know it's you." The boy in question looked around slowly for back-up, wondering why this crazy person had singled him out. But his older cousins were all chattering amongst themselves and no one was paying him any attention. His little brother sat playing next to him, quite unaware of this furtive one-sided conversation beside him.

Sirius felt the need to say _something_, at least. "Um, really?"

"When I saw you in person, I knew for sure. Sirius. Well, I'll just tell you this, then I'll leave you alone. One day, when you're grown up ... well, anyway," she amended, "see that girl over there?" She pointed to a giggling dark haired little girl who was drinking a cup of pumpkin juice and running around. As they watched, she spilled it all over the front of her dress. The blond teenager watching over her called to her mother to clean it with her wand, then went back to gossiping with her sisters and friends.

"What,_ Cissy_?" He craned his neck and looked back at the woman in front of him, thoroughly nonplussed.

"No, dear. The little one. My daughter Maddy. You're going to be ... very close to her someday." She chose her words carefully, but realized this probably didn't make any sense. "You take very good care of her, you understand? She'll take care of you, as well. Don't worry," she winked and smiled, seeing his stricken expression. "It's several years off. Sorry to have frightened you." She looked at him with satisfaction, remembering that he would grow up to be a very handsome man. Pretty grey eyes, dark wavy hair. She wished she could offer some words of comfort about what he would be facing in the future. Particularly the very near future, as in later this night. She feared he would despise her for what she had to do.

Before she could say more, though, Walburga called out and snapped her fingers imperiously. "Carol! Over here. Eleanor wants her leaves read." She looked shrewdly between Carol and her son and smiled, wondering what had been said. Carol sighed in irritation, and straightened up. The seer thing was quite possibly the most frustrating "gift" imaginable. Even when she actually _saw_ something, nobody ever wanted the truth, and the truth, around here, could make one quite unpopular. She typically declined these requests when possible. The people here were different, though. They scared her. Her husband's friends. And he had turned out the same as them. She would see to it that their children weren't like that. But for now, she would tell them whatever they wanted to hear. Much easier on Maddy and Sirius that way.

As she walked over to Sirius' mother, she looked back once at the boy. But he had gone back to reading and appeared to have already forgotten their conversation.

Over the past four years since Maddy's birth, Carol had _seen_ them together several times and felt the familiar sadness that she wouldn't be around when that time came. She knew Maddy would have some rough times ahead of her. And of course, Sirius himself was destined for plenty of tragedy. Another curse of the _sight_. Being forced to let things take their course and not interfering. But she felt slightly better having spoken to the boy. Maybe, with luck, he would remember their conversation someday when he and Maddy met properly. She wished she could _see_ even more about them, but she had tried several times to no avail. Their future had turned too murky after a point.

By now, she had approached Eleanor, and the woman held out her cup expectantly. Walburga smiled indulgently at Carol. "What did you say to him?" she interrupted before letting Carol do the reading. "They'll make a nice pair to dedicate to the cause, won't they? Sirius has so much potential. Clever boy." Carol managed a faint smile, pretending to concentrate on the cup in front of her, but she felt comfort knowing secretly that things would be quite the opposite. Sirius and Maddy would instead, someday, be willing to give their lives to defeat Lord Voldemort, who was about to be catapulted into greater power very soon.

That evening, the party was in full swing and most of the adults were already drunk. Bella had snuck some wine from the cellar and gone up to her bedroom to drink it and snog her boyfriend, Roddy. She grew tired of Cissy's pleas to be given some, and finally took her wand and pointed it in her sister's face to make her shut up. Ten year old Sirius watched all this, but wanted nothing to do with them. He looked around the unfamiliar house to find a hiding place where he could keep reading and avoid everyone.

"What you doing?" a voice came from behind. He jumped but then realized that it was only the little girl from earlier.

"Oh, hi," he muttered, feeling relieved. "I'm not doing anything." Her presence was a welcome respite from all the dark talk he always heard at these gatherings, but he still didn't want to be followed around by a little girl. "Hey, isn't that your mum in there?" he asked, pointing in the direction of raucous voices in the next room. Maybe she would take the hint and leave him alone. She ignored it, and held out her hand, which contained another cup of pumpkin juice.

"Here," she said. He looked down at it in confusion and took it from her, noticing an orange pumpkin juice mustache over her mouth. She turned and ran off, leaving him to stare after her, wondering about four year old children's logic. Rolling his eyes, he put it on a nearby table, then resumed his search for a quiet place.

"Sirius! There you are, darling!" The sound of Walburga Black's voice made him cringe. She usually wasn't so sugary and never called him _darling_. He was instantly suspicious. "Come with me," his mother instructed.

"Why?" he asked, and received only a more characteristic icy stare in response. She had an iron grip on his shoulder as she led him into a different room.

He could see a few other people in the drawing room, including his father, Orion, who sat impassively in the corner nursing a glass of firewhiskey. Cissy and Bella were both present, as was Andromeda, though she was off to one side, wearing a look of utter disapproval. No one paid her any attention. Sirius looked to his favorite cousin for explanation, but she only shook her head helplessly.

"What's going on, Mother?" he whispered urgently.

"Hush, Sirius. Here comes Madeleine," Walburga murmured out of the corner of her mouth.

Carol carried the child in her arms into the room. Her lips were pressed together tightly and she wasn't the least bit happy about this. They were followed closely by her husband, Marcus, who had a much more serene expression on his face. Ever since she had made the grievous error of telling him about _seeing_ Sirius and Madeleine together, he had been greedily encouraging such an event. All he could see were the galleons that the Black family possessed and their ever skyward social status, and he couldn't stop bragging to them about his wife with the unusual gift that could be an asset to them. Their interest in the dynamic Voldemort, who was gradually coming into greater favor amongst the purebloods, didn't hurt matters, either.

When everyone had assembled, Walburga flashed her indulgent smile back to Carol and shot a sidelong triumphant look over to her friend Eleanor. "Carol. Are you ready? I think it would be appropriate for you to do the honors." Then she nodded her head to Bellatrix, who grinned wickedly at Sirius and winked. She pulled a small knife out of her pocket and placed it on the closest table. Sirius eyed it nervously and spoke up, louder this time.

"What exactly is going on?"

Bellatrix and Narcissa giggled and snorted. "You are going to be _married_, Sirius!" Bella slurred a bit drunkenly. Her mother looked sharply at her, and she immediately straightened up, trying to appear sober.

"What?!" Sirius was alarmed and didn't appreciate one bit being the butt of some joke. He looked back to Andromeda, but she only shook her head wearily.

"It's not a real marriage. Just an arrangement for later. They get money and prestige; you get _seer_ blood in whatever girly brats you have someday with her," Bella couldn't resist adding. "_And_ you get to see the future whenever you want!"

"Bellatrix!" her mother snapped. "Enough!"

Marcus spoke up. "Go on, Carol." His wife held on to Maddy protectively, not moving at first. These people were all a bunch of fools. Her daughter didn't need some silly bloodletting to be attached to a boy, and Carol knew that the family's wish for greater dark powers in these two would come to nothing. She felt seething hatred toward her husband for condoning this, and wished, not for the first time, that she had never met him. There seemed to be no help for it, though. The people wanted a show.

With great reluctance, she put her daughter down and looked at Sirius, who appeared positively horrified. "It's alright, dear," she reassured him very softly. "This is nothing and it will be over soon." Then, after looking around the room at all the vultures present, she asked him to repeat something slowly while taking Maddy's little hand. The words were Gaelic and he had great difficulty with them, but Carol was determined that they should not be in English. It was better for Sirius that neither he, nor none of the idiots here, would understand. But she knew they were meaningful and would be repeated someday.

**I vow you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine,**

**from the day that we choose it shall only your name I cry out in the night**

**and into your eyes that I smile each morning; **

**I shall be a shield for your back as you are for mine, **

**nor shall a grievous word be spoken about us, **

**for our marriage is sacred between us and no stranger shall hear my grievance. **

**Above and beyond this, I will cherish and honor you through this life **

**and into the next. **

Once he had stumbled through it, she kneeled in front of the boy, feeling his fear. "It's alright," she repeated softly. Then, with a great sigh, she took the knife and gently grasped his hand. He pulled back, resisting, and looked understandably frightened out of his wits.

"No!" he yelled, jerking his hand back in anger.

"Sirius Black!" his mother bellowed. "Do as you're told!"

Sirius looked back with hatred at his mother, then at the woman in front of him. Carol quickly took his hand back and made a small cut, mentally asking his forgiveness. As he gasped and watched it bleed, she grabbed sleepy Maddy's hand as well and did the same thing. Maddy started suddenly and began to cry. Before she could resist, though, Carol put their wrists together in a symbolic gesture of a handfast marriage. She knew this meant nothing, and decided right then that _she_ would never have anything to do with these people again, nor would she ever teach her daughter anything about this accursed sight.

Late that night, Carol laid in bed, feeling intense guilt for what she had done, though she knew both children would get over it quickly enough and forget the incident. As long as Walburga didn't keep opening her mouth about it, at least. She had argued bitterly with her husband about all this and had gotten a heavy slap across the face from him. The biggest mistake of her life, she thought, was marrying Marcus. She'd had some clues about what a future with him would entail before they married, but she had been a lovesick teenager and thought she could change what she wanted. Now her children were the only bright spot, though she could tell William would most likely go the way of his father; intoxicated by Voldemort's promises. That knowledge made her heart ache, but at least she knew Madeleine would be different.


	2. Visitors to Azkaban

Maddy walked very fast down the empty hallway, single-minded in her purpose. Her footsteps echoed loudly in her wake, and she even managed to ignore Peeves, flicking her wand distractedly to ward off one of his water bombs, in her haste to get to the headmaster's office. Finally she reached the entrance. "Sherbet Lemon," she exclaimed breathlessly. The stone gargoyle moved aside, and she rushed up the stairs. The door opened in front of her and Albus Dumbledore stood, looking down on her with amusement. "I assume you are ready to leave?" He had to admire her enthusiasm.

"Yeah," she answered. "Let's go."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Now, I will be at the guards' station, very close by, should you need anything at all," Dumbledore said to Maddy as they walked through the entrance to the imposing fortress of Azkaban. The weather was completely different there; where on land it had been sunny with mild temperatures, at the prison it was cold and gray with blustery winds, and it looked as though a vicious storm was heading their way. Her hair blew all around her face, and she brushed it away repeatedly, though it did no good. Considering what she had heard about the dementors who guarded the place, Maddy shivered and wondered how much of this was due to their influence. For the first time she conceded that this might be one of the stupidest ideas she'd had in a long time. They walked past the entry point for new prisoners, and she pictured Sirius Black being forced through this area, stripped of his possessions and his dignity, many years ago. He must have been terrified, lonely, maybe wishing for death, she thought, trying to imagine what an awful experience that would be. After all, she was only a visitor, and was completely intimidated by this place.

Until now, Maddy had stubbornly asserted to herself and Dumbledore that meeting Sirius Black was the right thing to do. There were certain things she was determined to ask him about what she had _seen_. Now that he was about to be right in front of her, though, she was suddenly scared out of her wits. What if the visions about him had just been a series of strange, inexplicable fantasies and had no meaning at all? She sighed to herself and decided that if it was a total disaster, at least she would never have to see him again. Lost in thought, she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings as they walked briskly down the main hallway toward a bank of ancient elevators. The building was very cold and dank, with mildew and unwashed human being the prevailing scents. She hadn't seen a window yet and wondered how any humans could work here among the dementors, let alone be incarcerated, without losing their minds. Of course, as Dumbledore said, practically all the inmates had done exactly this if they were here long enough, and reminded her that it was likely that she would find Black in this state. The thought of finding Black deranged was too depressing to ponder, and Maddy tried to push it to the back of her mind.

They stepped on an elevator and Dumbledore closed the inner door. Surprisingly, the decrepit lift lurched wildly and shot up like a cannon to their destination, with Maddy scrambling to hold on to something. The headmaster, himself unperturbed, took her arm to steady her, and soon they began to slow down. Once it stopped, he opened the door once more to reveal a vastly rundown cellblock with a guard station just off the elevator. Faded lettering on the wall, obviously written many years ago and never repainted, proclaimed this to be the maximum security wing, reserved for the worst offenders in the wizarding world. The walls themselves were crumbling and deteriorated from lack of maintenance, and coated in mold as well. Fitting, since these were the people that no one cared about. Maddy looked in each direction, and could just make out two black figures of dementors at a distance down one of the hallways, floating stationary just outside a cell. She assumed that must be Sirius' location. She looked to Dumbledore in silence for confirmation, and he nodded somberly.

"Madeleine, do you _really_ want to do this?" he asked gently. He had a bad feeling about this situation, but assumed that the presence of the dementors was to blame for his negativity.

Maddy looked bracingly at him and shrugged. "Yeah. I've made it this far. Can't stop now, can I?" She felt a tiny thrill of excitement amidst all the nerves, and rehearsed once more what she wanted to say. Even from a distance, the disgusting beings down the hall sensed the change in her mood and turned toward her with interest. Dumbledore noticed and touched her shoulder instinctively for protection. With his experience and imposing presence on the Wizengamot, he had been allowed to keep his wand on this floor, though Maddy's had been removed upon entry into the fortress. He now took it out of his robes and gripped it with a fist.

Dumbledore moved closer to the station, which was currently unmanned, and motioned for the distant dementors to come to him. They floated menacingly toward the pair, and as they passed each cell on the way, prisoners cried out, wailing pitifully in response to their proximity. Maddy's feeling of anticipation drained away as they grew closer, and she began to feel their effects in earnest. She gripped Dumbledore's arm to steady herself, and blinked, trying to keep her thoughts clear. Now the dementors were upon them, and began to speak to the headmaster.

"You are here to see Black?" one of them hissed, sounding something like a snake.

"Yes," Dumbledore answered and held his wand steady. Maddy began to see spots in front of her eyes, feeling sick, and held tighter to his robes. He put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Leave us for now."

"No. We accompany you."

"No, you will not," the professor said with a steely edge to his voice. "She will go. She won't be harmed by Black. Let her go alone."

The dementors were not happy with this arrangement, but they acquiesced, floating off reluctantly in the other direction. Maddy heaved a deep sigh, feeling slightly better now. "Madeleine, let me walk with you," Dumbledore insisted, "at least part of the way."

"No. I think I'll be alright, as long as ..." she motioned toward the malevolent beings who watched from a distance, " ... _they_ stay away. I'll be back soon." Her legs felt wobbly, but her brain was clear once more. She began to walk unsteadily down the filthy corridor and toward the man she had come to talk with.

Several prisoners, now that the dementors had moved off, perked up and took notice of the woman walking past their cells, and she heard a few lewd comments and catcalls as she went. Doggedly determined, though, she kept moving, ignoring them, and tried not to think of a muggle film she had once seen in London, called _Silence of the Lambs_. The thought of certain _things_ being thrown at her made her pick up her step considerably. Then she reached the cell she was looking for.

It was no different than the others. Nothing in the chamber indicated who was here, other than a combination of runes and numbers which were engraved in crumbling block above the bars, denoting his serial number. She thought at first that the place was empty, glancing around, but then she noticed a heap of rags on a small cot. _Rags?_ she thought in confusion. Where was Black? With a jolt, she realized that there was an extremely thin person wrapped in those rags, apparently asleep. She stood looking at him in dismay. She had known that he would be in very poor health, but actually seeing it with her own eyes was another story.

Maddy looked back toward the guard station where Dumbledore watched her. She knew it was either now, or the moment would be lost forever. She turned back to face the cell and opened her mouth to speak, just as a prisoner from the cell opposite cackled, "Oi, Black! Wake up, you tosser. You have a new roommate! Lucky bloke. Give 'er one for me ..." His words were drowned out by the occupant on the cot, who suddenly rose in fury.

"Shut it, you bleedin' ..." His words stopped abruptly when he saw the woman standing just outside the bars. His mouth dropped open in amazement. He acted as if he wanted to speak, but couldn't find the words. They stared at each other, with Maddy looking him up and down as she tried to reconcile this malnourished skeleton of a man with the healthy, handsome one she had _seen_ many times.

She finally spoke. "Hello." Everything she had planned to say to him had fled from her brain. She couldn't think of anything at all. "Um-"

"Who the _bloody_ hell are you? Not one of those damned volunteers from that useless Prisoners' Welfare bunch, are you?? Not that they ever stop at _my_ cell, mind you." He had found his voice with a vengeance and now looked contemptuously at her. Maddy couldn't help but look him back in the eye, trying to see some vestige of the man he had once been. He didn't resemble that one at all, though.

"No. My name is, uh, Madeleine O'Hannon. I'm the arithmancy professor at Hogwarts," she answered meekly, thoroughly intimidated by his rude manner.

Now he was shocked once more. "Hogwarts?! What the hell are you doing in this place?" he asked gruffly. She noticed his brown, mottled teeth as he moved closer and the smell of unwashed male was much stronger.

She took a deep breath. "I wanted to see you. I have someth -"

"Oh! Wanted to _see_ me. Well, how lucky am I. You came a long way just to gawk at the most infamous wizard in Britain, didn't you?" The disdain was back in his voice. "Bit dangerous, don't you think? Come alone?" he asked softly, and leered at her now.

"No. Albus Dumbledore is with me. At the guard station."

His manner changed immediately. "Albus?" he said hoarsely. "Here to speak to me? What's he doing, sending you to relay a message?"

"No ... no. This was my idea. He, uh, only accompanied me." Maddy felt immensely stupid now. What a lousy decision this had been. She tried to think of a way to salvage things. "I just had a few questions to ask you, and then I'll leave you alone."

"Oh, take your time. You're likely the only entertainment I'll get all day, other than Robotham over there." The sarcasm was back as he motioned to the other prisoner, who was now rocking back and forth, mumbling to himself. He glared harshly back at her, then raised his eyebrows to indicate, _Well?_

"Right," she said. "I, uh, had something I wanted to ask. Well, I was a kid, er, teenager, when this happened ... when you were put in here. Of course, I remember reading the whole story back then. How you killed all those people."

"Just what are you getting at? You want an autograph?" He looked at her in astonishment, as if she were mad.

Maddy looked levelly at him. "Please let me finish," she said, in her best stern professor's voice.

"By all means ..." Black answered, rolling his eyes and leaning against the bars. A claw-like hand gripped one of the bars. She noticed filthy, ragged fingernails and tattooed symbols on each knuckle. As Maddy looked down at them, momentarily distracted, he sighed noisily. "You were saying?" He looked down at one of her own hands, which was gripping an iron bar, and decided it might be fun to try and frighten her. He took a finger and slowly caressed one of hers. Maddy jumped, unprepared for this, and watched the motion with wide eyes, holding her breath.

"Do you know how long it's been since I've felt the touch of another person?" he whispered hoarsely, intending to sound malicious, though in truth he was taking in every sensation; the smooth fingernail, the soft pad at the tip, the long length. She looked up at his face and, for the first time, could see a faint suggestion of the handsome man he should have been. His eyes were suddenly alive and filled with emotion. A memory came to her in that instant, of an older version of Sirius Black, who was devilishly handsome and laughed with delight at someone's joke ... _happy_.

Dumbledore stood at the station, waiting patiently. He knew Maddy would most likely never get a chance to speak to Black again, and he was willing to give her all the time she needed. He looked down the hallway at her, and caught the hint of a smile on her face. Whatever Black was saying, she looked intrigued, and even almost happy all of a sudden. But he wasn't the first one to notice. He smelled something foetid in the air, growing much stronger in a split second. His hair blew back and he grasped the desk for support as the two dementors blew past him at light speed down the hallway. In an instant, Maddy was brought to her knees by one. The other wasn't visible, and Dumbledore realized immediately that it was attacking Sirius in the cell. Several other dementors joined them out of nowhere, and he could no longer see her.

He pointed his wand imperiously, bellowing "_Expecto Patronum!_" As quickly as they had come, all the dementors were gone, hit by the force of his spell. They spiraled away from the cell, in a tangled black mass, and continued further down the hallway around a corner. Dumbledore rushed down to Black's cell and knelt in front of Maddy, who was unconscious on the dank floor. Digging a hunk of chocolate out of a wrapper in his robes, he looked to see if Black fared any better. The man was senseless as well. He tore off a bit of the wrapper and placed some chocolate between the bars on the floor next to him. Then, taking Maddy in his arms, he rose to his feet, staggering off and away from Sirius.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy's eyes flickered open. Dumbledore was leaning over her in the visitor's chambers on the ground floor, and looked relieved when she focused on him. She tried to prop herself up on her elbows, but a sick feeling immediately came over her and she was forced to lay her head back down.

"What happened?" she asked weakly. Dumbledore was silent at first.

"You were attacked by dementors," he said quietly. "Here. Eat some of this."

She moaned and moved to her side, retching. The headmaster waited on her to finish, patting her back supportively. "Did I see him?" she finally managed.

He looked down on her sadly. He knew how much this meeting had meant to her. "You did, for a few minutes, at least. I'm sorry, Madeleine."

"I want to go back," she insisted. "I need to talk to him more, Albus." She waved away the chocolate, looking sick once more.

"No! I never should have allowed this in the first place. It will come to nothing." Dumbledore's voice was harsh. He felt responsible for Maddy's current state, and had no intention of repeating the experience. He even allowed a twinge of sympathy for Sirius, who had obviously been treated very poorly over the last twelve years. It was surprising that the man was still alive, really, let alone sane. Then he saw Maddy's look of hopelessness and felt even worse for her. Whatever the reason behind the visions, she obviously took them very seriously. He knew her gifts for arithmancy and the _sight_ were no accident, considering the visionary talents of the women in her family. But the visit to Azkaban was over and he had no intention of returning. He spoke more softly. "Let's go."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius blinked and swallowed. The room was coming back into focus, though very slowly. Fragments of images flashed across his mind; a split second where Albus Dumbledore's face was in front of him, wearing an expression of alarm, a blinding flash of white light, a woman collapsing on the other side of the bars, dementors in their faces. He tried to sit up suddenly, and was immediately forced to lie down once more, choking down the taste of bile in the back of his throat. He felt his face with a dirty hand. It was clammy and wet, with a nasty bump. Squinting, he brought his hand before his eyes and saw blood on it. Must have cut it when he passed out. He tried once more to think of why Albus Dumbledore or a woman should be standing before him, but could come up with no plausible reason. But something had caused the guards of Azkaban to attack him. He was very familiar with _that_ feeling. The chocolate on the floor caught his eye, and he picked it up curiously, biting into it and savoring the rich flavor. He felt better immediately, and wondered if the image of the two people had been the reason for its appearance. He slumped back on the floor and rested, trying in vain to recall what had happened.

Finally abandoning this train of thought, he remembered something else entirely. According to the number of marks on his wall, faithfully scratched out, he figured tomorrow was the day Fudge came around doing his yearly inspection. He laughed out loud, bitterly, and earned a surprised look from Robotham, who was now busy picking lice out of his hair and examining them. The minister and his ridiculous inspections. Black had been there for twelve of them, and they were always the same. _The prisoners are being treated humanely ... decent living conditions ... offered educational opportunities ..._the usual drivel. He stood up straight and was forced to grab the bars for support when his head began to pound furiously. Once he had recovered, he decided to mentally practice how he would address Fudge this year. He loved that the man obviously wondered how he had retained his sanity, but couldn't exactly ask. _I'm an animagus_, Sirius longed to be able to sneer in his face, imagining the disbelief and horror on the old man's face. _Outwitted you and your fucking dementors, didn't I? _Well, for the most part, he thought ruefully, reminded once more of today's unexpected attack by the resurgence of throbbing temples.

His evening passed very slowly, as always. Sirius had eaten all the chocolate several hours ago, and had reverted to a more melancholy state, as he sometimes did this time of day. Sleepless nights were common, considering that it was difficult to tell the time around here. Many evenings he thought of James and Lily. He wondered if, wherever they were, they could _feel _and _think_. What did they think of him? Sometimes he had imaginary conversations with James. He relived good times with his friend from long ago, though the visions couldn't last long before he had to transform. He had managed to calculate exactly how long it took the dementors to make it to his cell before he had to change into Padfoot. It became a sort of entertainment, knowing they were frustrated not being able to feed off him. Eventually he laid down and stared up at the ceiling, now pretending the stars were out. He saw his, and pointed. _It's me,_ he thought. He wondered, not for the first time, if he had actually gone insane long ago.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Fudge's annual appearance was marked by a refreshing change in the atmosphere. The guards of Azkaban had been driven far enough away so as not to bother the Minister, and all the prisoners could feel the positive effects. Sirius inhaled deeply and euphorically several times that day, enjoying the difference. Fudge took forever to reach the maximum security floor, but Black didn't care, as long as the dreadful beings stayed away. Finally, with sharpened senses, he heard the elevator door squeak open down the hallway, and the sound of footsteps squished on the damp floor. More than one person was present, he noticed. Of course, Fudge wasn't brave enough to come alone. He had his own guards with him, with wands drawn at all times. After an interminable period, the Minister and guards finally made their way to Sirius' cell. Fudge was civil, at least.

"Well, how are you faring, Black? Sorry for your sins?" Fudge couldn't resist throwing in a little judgement whenever he was here.

Sirius ignored him. "Is that today's paper, Minister?" he asked casually. "Mind if I read it, if you're finished? I miss the crossword." He did his best to look completely unaffected by his incarceration, and Fudge was clearly taken aback.

"Oh ... of course, Black. Here you go." He handed it to Sirius, being careful not to touch the man in the process. "Everything alright here?"

"Yeah, just lovely." He couldn't keep a tinge of sarcasm out of his voice. "Tea with dementors every afternoon and all."

"Yes, well ..." Fudge looked away and was moving on now.

Sirius watched after him for a moment, thinking last years' visit had lasted much longer. But he had a paper, at least, and he looked down at it, reading the headline. MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE. A picture of a large family smiled up at him, waving happily. He looked at the article. The Weasley family, who had gone on holiday to Egypt with their winnings to visit one of their children. Sirius thought of all the galleons he possessed in Gringotts, and wished he could take them all and fly away to Egypt himself. He flung the paper down on his cot and sat down, melancholy once more.

Later that evening, after he had wandered the confines of his cell, he picked up the paper once more, examining each Weasley. They all looked very similar ... red hair, goofy grins. He contemplated what it felt like to be part of a happy family. He had never even been allowed a pet. But this one kid had a rat. Not the best kind of pet, of course, but still ...

He looked closer at the picture in the dim light. There was something about that rat that ... didn't look like a _rat_. He snorted, suddenly thinking about Peter. Peter had looked like this. He hadn't appeared exactly like the animal form that he should ... there had been something just slightly _off _about him. This rat appeared like that, too. Sirius squinted in the dim light. In fact, this rat looked _just_ like Peter had, years ago.

_Merlin's Beard_, he thought with a lurch, sinking down on his tiny bed. _It's Peter. He's their pet_. As this thought insinuated itself firmly in his mind, he began to hyperventilate. Finally he forced himself to calm down, hoping for another clue to confirm what he suspected. Then it presented itself. The boy was a student at Hogwarts. Peter was after Harry.


	3. Remembrances

_August 1995_

"Are you alright, Maddy?" Remus furled his brow in concern when she stumbled.

"Oh, yeah. Just tripped on a wrinkle in the carpet. You worry too much." Maddy grinned at her friend. "So most of the order members will be there? What about Sirius?"

"Yes, and yes. He'll be there, as well."

"It'll be nice to finally meet him properly," she said, with a brilliant smile.

"Maddy ... he doesn't know. Anything. Albus tried, but never got much of a chance ..." Remus shrugged. "I just don't want you to be disappointed, alright? He may not be exactly what you're expecting."

"So, _I'll_ tell him then." Nothing could dampen her mood.

"I think that was the idea," answered Remus, smiling. "Ready?"

"Just about. Give me a mo. I'll be right back." She headed toward the loo.

"Why don't I wait for you downstairs?"

She nodded. "Sounds good." Maddy closed the door behind her.

Remus left the room and traipsed down the stairs of the Leaky Cauldron, reminded of a conversation they'd had back the year Sirius had been on the run, when they had both taught at Hogwarts.

xxxxxxxxx

"This isn't common knowledge around here, but Sirius Black and I used to be friends," Remus Lupin had said quietly one day. It was the first of November, the day after Black had broken into Hogwarts and slashed the painting of the Fat Lady. The castle had been in an uproar all day, and though the school had operated as usual, Maddy and Remus both hadn't been able to accomplish a thing with their students all day. This afternoon, classes were finished and they had the job of patrolling the grounds adjacent to the Quidditch pitch. Remus felt silly bothering with it; he knew Sirius would be long gone by now. Not for the first time, he shook his head ruefully, thinking about how much his former friend had changed.

"Really?" Maddy stopped mid-stride and stared at him in amazement. "I had no idea." She wore a curious expression on her face.

"Yes, back when we were in school, and until ... well for obvious reasons I haven't advertised that fact." Remus stopped as well when he realized Maddy was still rooted to the spot. "What's wrong? Don't worry, he hasn't rubbed off on me," he said, smiling slightly.

She smiled at this. "So what was he like?"

"Nothing like you'd expect from someone who turned mass murderer. Very funny, always the practical joker. A big hit with the girls. Extremely clever. Would have gone far if he hadn't followed Voldemort." Maddy looked at him sharply with the mention of this name.

"So you were surprised to hear he had killed all those people?"

"Oh, yes. Sirius was, well, the last person I'd have thought would be tempted by all the dark stuff. It ran in his family, though. Big supporters of the dark arts. But for years I always thought he was different."

Maddy knew exactly what Remus meant. She looked thoughtfully at him as if trying to reach a decision about something. "Did you ever think he could be innocent?" The question rolled off her tongue before she could stop it.

He was taken aback. "No one's ever asked me that before."

"Sorry. Guess I just wondered if anyone ever gave him benefit of the doubt. I've read quite a bit about him and knew there hadn't been a trial."

"Oh," he replied. "Well, there was never any question, unfortunately. Of course, you were just a kid back then, so you wouldn't remember how things were."

"Oh, I learned soon enough. My mum was killed in the midst of all that."

"She was? Did Voldemort kill her?"

"No. My dad did. A few days after Harry's parents were killed." She spoke without emotion.

"Oh dear. May I ask what happened?" he said softly.

She slowed down a bit in her stride. "He was really into the dark stuff. She wasn't. I think Voldemort's downfall when Harry Potter survived must have unhinged him. Perhaps she saw the end of Voldemort and rubbed it in; I don't know."

They began to walk again in silence for a few minutes, leaves crunching under their feet with each step.

Maddy paused. "Remus, I have some things I'd really like to get off my chest. Do you mind?" She found a dead log by the side of the trail, and sat, disregarding the chilly dampness that seeped through her robes.

"Of course not. What's the matter?"

"A confession, actually. Though I'm afraid you'll think I'm barking by the time I get done. I've never told anyone this, well, except Albus." Maddy laughed nervously and glanced at Remus in apology.

"Oh, I'd never think that. Go on! What is it?"

"Well, okay. Just hear me out on this, because it will sound insane. My mum was a _seer_."

"Er, alright. Like Trelawney?" Remus asked delicately. His expression was amused.

"Well, no, my mum was _good_ at it," she answered with a twisted grin, "though you didn't hear me say that. Anyway, when I was a child I always hoped I would be the same way. Because it ran in my family. Her mum had it, too. But I didn't know my gran."

She took a deep breath as Remus sat there, wondering where she was going with this. "Everyone in the family assumed that I would have it as well. And I do ... I found out when I was ten years old."

Remus was intrigued now. "Really! What happened?"

"I was outdoors one day, riding my broomstick around the yard. A Nimbus 900 Junior," she added, smiling at the memory. "Out of the blue, this man appeared right in front of me. I swerved to avoid him and promptly fell off the broom and on my bottom. I hadn't hit him, though. He was still there, but, he _wasn't_. I know that doesn't make sense. It was a bit like I was watching one of those muggle shows on the television. He was playing with a little boy, who looked about my cousin David's age at the time. Maybe three? He was very handsome. I really liked the way he looked, even at my tender age." She gave a small laugh. "Then I looked down. My belly was out to here," Maddy gestured in front of her stomach and Remus' eyes widened. "As I watched the whole thing, feeling like I was disembodied or something, the guy came over to me and lay down next to me on the grass. He leaned over and whispered something to my belly, as if he were talking to the baby. Then he reached up and kissed me. I could actually feel the kiss. I felt his warm breath on my lips. He had a mustache and I could feel it tickling me. My first kiss. It was really strange, but actually in a nice way. Then just like that, he was gone and I was sitting next to my broom once more and my bottom hurt tremendously."

Remus looked very curious. "What did he look like?" he asked nonchalantly, gazing downward. "Do you remember?"

Maddy nodded. "Oh, yes. I thought he looked lovely. Longish dark hair, beautiful dark eyes. He was very slender, but rather tall. Pretty sexy, even to my ten-year old mind." Remus bit his lip slightly and raised an eyebrow, considering this, but didn't say anything.

"I am going somewhere with this, I promise," she added. "I was so excited to have my first vision. I ran inside to tell Mum all about my future husband. She was preparing dinner at the time. When I told her about the pregnant part, all the knives that were chopping vegetables clattered on the counter. I thought she was going to have kittens!" She laughed. "She acted a bit strange after that. I asked her to help me with it so maybe I could see more, but she refused. Said it was a bad thing, and useless, and I shouldn't encourage the visions, though in a funny way she seemed pleased. I was very disappointed that she wouldn't help me, though. So I've never been able to control it much since; just once in a while something will appear, but it's obvious that they're fairly pointless. They make no sense. I'm always worried I'll be teaching a class or something when it happens. They're getting more frequent now." She sighed again. "But anyway, I started Hogwarts the next year and eventually forgot about the man. It wasn't until I was a fifth year that I had another one."

Remus stood and stretched his limbs. "Tell me about it. But let's walk, alright?"

Maddy rose and stretched also. "I was on my first date with Marcus Hunt, a Ravenclaw. He was my potions partner. It was the Halloween feast. 1981," she added, then paused, hoping he might catch the significance. His face was neutral, but he nodded for her to continue as they walked. "Marcus took me out to one of the courtyards, where everyone always went to snog at these things. He was all proud of himself. Got me in a dark corner and started kissing me. Very messy about it, too. My first _real_ kiss," she said, rolling her eyes and smiling. "I wasn't really into it at all, because I suddenly remembered the other one. So I opened my eyes, but when I looked at him, I wasn't seeing Marcus anymore. It was the man I'd seen several years earlier. He was kissing me, ah, _fiercely_, and it was ... very nice. Not gentle like the other time, though. He was very passionate. I began to imagine I was kissing him back and got, er, rather lost in the moment. _Merlin_, it was wonderful. But once again, he disappeared into thin air and I was stuck with Marcus' drool all over my face. He couldn't believe his luck and decided the time was ripe for feeling me up. But I was very dizzy, and lost my balance, falling right on my arse, which seems to be the norm when I have these things." Remus grinned, and she continued. "Everyone laughed, thinking Marcus had made me swoon with pleasure. But I left and ran back to the dorm, telling him I was sick; just left him standing there. I couldn't stop thinking about that man, and wondered why I would see him again. People laughed at me for days. Until we found out about my mum, at least."

Remus looked at her. "That's really interesting. Still don't know who he was?"

She stopped and looked at him. "Well, that's the next part of the story. I found out shortly after that night who I was seeing."

"Well, don't keep me in suspense!" Remus said impatiently. "Who is it?"

She sighed. "A few days later, I went to breakfast. Nobody was talking; they all had their heads buried in the _Daily Prophet._ I sat next to one my friends at the Hufflepuff table and asked her what was going on. Just this dead silence everywhere. She didn't answer, just slowly handed me the paper like she was in a daze. I took it, and looked at the headline._ Thirteen People Killed in London; Wizard Sirius Black Guilty._"

Lupin watched Maddy closely and held his breath, waiting for her to continue.

"I vaguely remembered Sirius Black; I think my dad said I'd met him once when we were both kids, though that was another subject Mum wouldn't talk about. But I recognized the picture. A man with long dark hair, desolate grey eyes. It was _him, _Remus. The man I'd _seen_ just a few nights earlier. And five years earlier. I know it as surely as anything."

Whatever Remus expected her to say, it wasn't this. He opened his mouth in astonishment, but nothing came out. Finally, he managed to say, "Well, perhaps you've just ..." but he trailed off, unable to refute her speech with any rational explanation, other than telling her maybe she _was_ mad, just as she'd said earlier.

"Since he escaped, these visions have become more frequent. They won't stop. Finally this past summer I spoke to Albus about it. He knew all about my mother, of course ... her gifts ... and what my father had done to her. I hoped he could tell me more about Sirius. He did talk to me and give me some background. But I decided I had to go and see him."

"Him? _Sirius_?"

"Yes. I went to Azkaban with Dumbledore back in the summer. Just before he escaped."

"Merlin! What happened? What was he like?"

"I have no idea. Dementors attacked us both outside his cell, and I don't remember a thing, other than the look on his face when we started talking."

"Did it make the visions stop?"

"Nope. I keep having them. If anything, they're more frequent. Don't know if it's because he's out of prison; I try to find connections, but it's awfully hard. Too many fragments. One in particular stands out a bit more, though it was more a dream this time. At least I think I was asleep when I had it. You were in it."

Remus looked at her with a kind of horrified fascination. "Go on, then. Tell me about it." He began to walk again.

"You'll really think I'm a nutter if you don't already," she said with resignation, "but here goes. It was very short and didn't really make any sense, as usual. But Black had caught this ... rat. Out close to the forest. He used a wand on it and it turned into a person. They fought, the man turned _back _into a rat and scarpered, _Black_ turned into a dog, who was also black, by the way, and then _you_ looked up at the moon, which was full, and turned into a werewolf. It was utter chaos. Go figure," she added with a wry grin.

Remus was silent, however. Maddy looked hesitantly to see what he made of this. The look on his face was one of utter shock. The colour had drained from his face and he leaned with his hand against a tree trunk.

"Are you alright?" Maddy asked, touching his back. "Look, Remus, I already know you're a werewolf. It's not news to me, nor any of the staff. Is that it?"

He recovered, though, and gave a rather shaky laugh. "Yes, I'm alright. Just wondering what on earth you must have had for dinner that night! That sounds more like just a typical dream to me." With that, he began walking quickly back toward the castle. He had long legs and Maddy struggled to keep up with him.

"Remus, are you upset with me?" she asked with concern.

"Oh, no, of course not. But I must be getting back now. Well, here we are," he said unnecessarily once they were at the main doors. The huge door opened by itself and he wasted no time going in. "Maddy, talk to you later." And he left her standing there, looking after him in confusion and hurt. He had never brought it up again.

xxxxxxxxxx

Remus recalled how his heart had stopped as she casually described Sirius changing into Padfoot and Pettigrew's transformation into a rat. His own horrible metamorphosis. She had looked to him for an explanation, and he panicked, telling her nothing. Fortunately, though, she had taken that dream seriously and acted on it, and, between her and Harry, Sirius had his life back as a free man. And had for some time now. Remus wondered why, of all people, she should have visions about his friend. He knew she was, in a way, enamored of Sirius Black. Strange, really; a man she'd never known. Despite his friendship with the other man, he felt a mild stab of the old jealousy at Sirius' ability to attract females, and a tinge of bitterness that the man seemed to discard them just as easily when he felt like it. Lupin himself had harbored a tiny hope that Maddy might see _him_ that way back when they were teaching together, but she had only ever looked upon him as more of an older brother and confidant, with the spectre of Sirius always hanging over them. Now, of course, Tonks stayed in his thoughts all the time, though he admitted to himself that his insecurities were making that relationship very slow going. It would be interesting to see if Sirius had any kind of reaction to Maddy's presence. He was currently living elsewhere in London, and most likely wouldn't entertain the idea of staying at Grimmauld Place for any reason. It remained to be seen whether Dumbledore could convince him otherwise.


	4. The Owner of Twelve, Grimmauld Place

Remus and Maddy stood on the sidewalk in Grimmauld Place. Once the house had become visible, to her astonishment, they wasted no time in climbing the steps. "Ready to face the, er, dragon, so to speak?" he asked her with a twinkle in his eye. She looked at him but merely nodded. Before he could twist the knob, however, the door opened wide to reveal a tall slender man with long dark hair. He opened his mouth to greet Remus, then saw Maddy standing there. The two stood fairly gaping at one another for a moment. After the initial shock, Maddy couldn't help but give him a brilliant smile, thrilled as she was to be seeing him. It had been so long, and she was pleased to see he looked no more like a malnourished, defeated man, but was now healthier, with much of his dark good looks restored. Exactly as she had _seen_ countless times.

"Sirius? It's so nice to see you!" she exclaimed exuberantly before thinking, amazed to be looking him in the eye after all this time. Meanwhile, Sirius was watching _her_ with eyes wide open, also in shock. But then he quickly composed himself and, to her dismay, only nodded curtly, turning to Remus instead.

"Good to see you again, Remus!" Sirius said jovially to his friend, and guided them through the doorway into the hallway. Maddy's initial joy quickly dissolved and she felt hurt and bewildered by his cold dismissal. She followed the two rather forlornly through the dank hallway, with Remus looking around in apology as Sirius chatted amiably. At the end of the hall, they approached a formal dining room where several other wizards of various ages were sitting. A few who were teachers at Hogwarts looked up in surprise upon seeing Maddy, but smiled at her. She felt a bit lost as Remus drifted away to speak with someone else and Sirius ignored her, but she sat down next to a familiar witch from school and silently thought about what had just happened. No explanation presented itself, however. His inexplicable frostiness saddened her far more than she would have imagined, and she sat lost in thought, barely nodding as the witch next to her attempted to make conversation. Then she noticed Albus Dumbledore's towering frame entering the room, and he patted her back softly as he passed.

"Madeleine, how are you?" he asked politely. "Feeling alright?"

"Fine," she answered, attempting a smile which he noticed didn't quite reach her eyes. He looked questioningly at her, but didn't inquire further.

Thankfully, the meeting soon began, and the room quietened with the sound of Dumbledore's voice. Maddy sat, scarcely listening and mostly stealing glances at Sirius whenever his gaze shifted in another direction. She needn't have bothered with covertness; he appeared to be studiously avoiding anything in her general direction. Whenever he wasn't speaking, his gaze was mostly focused on his wine glass, where his finger traced a trail up and down the stem. Her heart sank once more. _So much for the effing _sight_. He couldn't care less._

Once the meeting was over, Maddy remained in her seat as most wizards and witches rose to leave. She caught Remus' eye, and he immediately came over and sat next to her. "You alright?" he repeated Dumbledore's earlier words quietly.

"Yeah. Just wondering what the hell that was about earlier. Have any idea?"

"Ah, no. I'm sorry. I'll ask, but knowing Sirius, he will deny that it meant anything." Remus looked apologetically at her once again.

Maddy stole another glance at Sirius, who was now speaking quietly with Dumbledore, though his expression was dark and he was scowling.

Just then, Dumbledore came over to them, followed by Sirius. His mood didn't appear to have improved in the last few minutes, but he finally looked stonily down at Maddy, who remained seated for the moment. She stared back at him until he averted his gaze.

"Well, I believe the two of you have met already," the headmaster stated genially. "So I'll dispense with any formalities. Sirius has concurred, of course, that you be allowed houseroom here at Grimmauld Place for the forseeable future. I have explained to him the need for it, and he, er, _agrees_-" he glanced sharply at Sirius, who stiffened, "that the house will offer more than adequate protection for you, and he is willing to remain here as long as you need it. Now. There are a few things you should know about this house, but I am confident that Sirius will explain everything to you."

Maddy was none too sure that the surly owner of Grimmauld Place would even speak to her, but she looked back up at him. His gaze had shifted and he seemed to be staring off into space, as if he couldn't be bothered listening in on this conversation. She then looked at Remus again, who gave her a quizzical slight shrug and another look apologizing for his friend's ill manner.

Dumbledore continued. "Do you have any questions for me, Madeleine?"

"Um, no, not just now."

"Good," he said, patting her back encouragingly once more. "I shall be returning in a few days, and will check in with you at that time. Sirius will remain here with you, as well as Remus, for the time being."

Thank God. She didn't have to be here alone with Sirius, after all. _The irony_, she thought. A few hours earlier, and she would have given anything for _that_ situation. She shot Remus a grateful look, and he winked at her in return.

"Well, good evening to you all. And thank you, Sirius, for being so _understanding_." His last word was rather pointedly given. Sirius looked steadily back at him and nodded slightly. Dumbledore left the room.

Remus spoke. "So, Sirius, why don't you show Madeleine which room she will be using?" He turned to Maddy. "I believe your things should already be there."

"I've a few things to take care of just now, Remus. Why don't you -" Sirius' objection stopped abruptly as Remus interrupted.

"Unfortunately, so do I. So. You, being the owner, should take Madeleine, being the guest, to her living quarters. You know the house far better than I, and I'm confident you'll point out anything she needs to know. Maddy, good night." He gave her a mock bow and smiled as he turned and walked away, leaving Sirius and Maddy alone.

"Right. Let's go," he said abruptly, heading to the door leading into the hallway. He stood and waited, looking frostily at her once more, as she rose from her chair and pushed it in. He began to walk ahead of her.

"First," he said halfway down the hallway. "Mother's portrait." His voice had dropped several volumes and he spoke barely above a whisper. "Do _not_ make loud noises anywhere near it. Do _not_ bang the front door shut, if you must go out. _Accompanied_, I might add," he added sardonically. "_Never_ ring the bell, nor knock on the front door. Is that perfectly clear?"

"Why on earth not?" Maddy asked in a normal tone, gazing at the mysterious black curtain on the wall. Sirius rolled his eyes and put an impatient finger to his lips.

"You talk like that around it and I imagine you'll find out soon enough," he snapped in a near whisper. "Now, follow me upstairs." He didn't wait, but began quickly climbing the first of a seemingly infinite number of steps. After they had ascended a few floors, he stopped on the landing until she could catch up. Then he walked down a short hallway and turned the knob of a room at the very end.

"Your room," he said curtly. He walked in, gazing around as if he hadn't seen it in a long while. Maddy's gaze followed his, past faded glittering Gryffindor banners and pennants and a curious collection of magazine pictures pasted to the wall. She looked closely at them. Motorcycles and girls in scantily-clad bikinis. Maddy turned and looked quizzically at Sirius. "Whose room _is_ this?" she asked.

"Used to be mine," Sirius replied acerbically. "Before I left home, _presumably_ never to return." He continued walking to another door inside the bedroom. "Loo," he said, pointing to that one. "Don't put anything in the armoire until I've checked it for doxies."

"Look, Sirius, are you upset with me about something?" Maddy felt she needed to get this off her chest.

"Well, you are _most_ observant, aren't you?" he answered sarcastically, but didn't offer an explanation. "That's enough of a tour for tonight. Feel free to use your wand for anything you might need. I don't care." He strode to the bedroom door and looked briefly at her. "See you in the morning." Without another word, he exited the room and closed the door behind him.

Maddy stood for an entire minute looking after him, then finally sank down on the bed. She rubbed her temples, thinking miserable thoughts. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She'd always believed in her heart she would see Sirius again, but never dreamt he would be so ... bitter, cold and disdainful. Nothing like the man she had _seen_ repeatedly who had looked at her as a man in love. Remus hadn't been kidding about being disappointed. She was crushed.

She sighed shakily, feeling tears near the surface, and rose to go wash her face before going to bed under the faded and musty black comforter. In the bathroom, she noticed an ancient claw-footed tub, sink and toilet, but little else. As Maddy washed her face off, she thought of looking for Remus. She wanted some kind of explanation for Sirius' strange behavior, and hopefully the other man could provide one soon. Otherwise, it would be hell to live in this house. She decided it could wait until the next day, though. Her one consolation was that, well, this was Sirius' old bedroom. Maybe she could search around it to find more clues about his personality and what he was like as a child, or something to help decipher the root of these visions. That would be a good project for the next day, she thought as she slid into bed and imagined Sirius as a boy sleeping in this room every night, practicing his _"lumos"_ spell and using his wand to look at the muggle girls on the wall.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius closed the bedroom door behind him and made his way back down the the basement kitchen. Remus was back, scrounging around for something to nibble on, and had his back to him. Everyone else had gone already. "I'm starving, Padfoot. Don't you have anything to eat in here? Too bad Molly didn't make supper tonight."

His friend ignored him. "Well. Stuck here once more," Sirius pronounced bitterly, taking a whiskey glass and setting it on the counter with a _clink_. He poured some amber liquid from a decanter into it and took a large swig. Then he shoved a glass in Remus' direction, and the other man followed suit, though not as hurriedly.

"That bad? You could fix it up a bit, and make it look much better, don't you think?"

"As if I'd spend any galleons on_ this_ place. Reduced to being a fucking babysitter!" His temper flared and he sighed deeply at this injustice.

"That's not true. Maddy is a good friend of mine and I won't have you being abusive to her. It's not _her_ fault, after all. You really should work on your attitude, in my opinion." Remus said it mildly, but he had never minded telling Sirius off when he felt it was needed.

The other man wasn't finished, though. "What's she got, anyway, that Voldemort would want?" he demanded irritably. "She's a damn ex-arithmancy professor! Is he going to capture her and make her calculate his heart number or something?"

Remus laughed. "No, but you're not too far off. Dumbledore didn't tell you?"

"Oh, no. I'm not important enough to be given any reasons, apparently. What is it?"

"Maddy comes from quite the line of seers. Her mother had some pretty interesting and accurate predictions back in her day, and Voldemort was told that she most likely had the gift, as well. He wants to use her."

"Who the hell told him that?"

"Her brother, we think. He's a death eater. Faded into obscurity when Voldmort went down before, and is back, apparently. Trying, as they all do, to curry favor with the Dark Lord."

Sirius was quiet, digesting this. Finally, he spoke again after taking another sip. "So, is she any good?"

Remus laughed once more, unable to help himself. "Well, _that_ remains to be seen, I believe. She's seen plenty of things that have yet to come true." He shot his friend a wicked grin, but didn't explain further. "I will say, though, that I think Voldemort is wasting his time where she's concerned. The worse problem is, of course, that he wouldn't hesitate to kill her, useful or no. She'd be damned one way or the other, if he got hold of her. He can't get to her here, though. It's such a safe place and all, thanks to your dad."

Sirius didn't feel any better about the situation, but at least he was happy to be a bit more educated about it now. Remus wasn't quite finished, though. "I think you should speak to Maddy about it. She's an interesting person. You'll like her, once you get to know her."

His friend snorted. "I don't plan on being around that much. She's not with you?"

"Me? Oh, no," Remus said, thinking of the beautiful pink-haired Tonks and her heart-shaped face. "We've always been just friends. Well," Remus said, looking at his watch, "I'm off to bed. It's good to see you again, Sirius. I've missed you."

"Yeah. Sorry about that. Been very busy for a while now." His eyes shifted away.

"Right. See you in the morning." Remus watched as Sirius left the room, setting his empty glass down on the table as he walked out.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius lay in bed that night, staring up at the ceiling. He thought of Dumbledore's edict that Madeleine whoever-she-was be allowed to stay here. She had seemed harmless enough, and he could sense her puzzlement with his behavior, which, he admitted, had come out of nowhere. He wondered why she inspired such a strong reaction from him. He didn't know her and couldn't imagine that she was really very important. But the older wizard had reminded him of his promise to do anything in his power to aid the Order. _Including staying in this place?_ he had asked cynically. _How's that going to help?_ Dumbledore had been typically nebulous in his response. _She's been through enough_, he'd said. _She doesn't need to be here alone. _Sirius grunted softly. In that case, why couldn't Remus stay with her? They were good friends, by his own admission.

He thought of the witch he was currently seeing, who knew nothing about the Order. What would she think of him staying in this house with another woman? And what if he wanted to stay with her some night? Granted, it hadn't graduated to that level _just_ yet, and he really couldn't answer why, as it was obvious enough that Victoria was willing enough. A niggling doubt insinuated itself in the back of his mind, that perhaps it was the novelty of _Sirius Black, vindicated ex-convict_, that attracted her. She never asked him anything about himself, other than the questions that were rather painful to answer, about his time in prison. As if it were glamorous or something. Irritated, he pushed the thought away and replaced it with one of her beautiful slender body, which had been pressed up against him on more than one occasion during particularly passionate kisses. Just now, he couldn't put it into focus, however. Another unwelcome thought presented itself; that he didn't really care for her as much as he liked the idea of someone _wanting_ him. Shoving that one away as well, he sighed deeply and tried to clear his mind.

His thoughts turned back to this Madeleine person. He felt guilty for being so rude and abrupt with her. She had seemed happy to be seeing him, for some reason. Maybe the same principle. His _celebrity_, which had thankfully ebbed a bit by now. Well, he was answering _no_ questions about Azkaban, which he felt sure were coming eventually. And he decided that, even though he had promised to remain here, he would stay absent as much as possible. Let Remus deal with her. He wondered how little he could stay without breaking his promise to Dumbledore. But he would worry more about that tomorrow.

Lying in his mother's old bed, he eventually drifted off to sleep. He'd had plenty of nightmares about prison and had always woken in a blind panic, groping around for something to remind him that he was still free. But tonight he dreamed of a dark forest. A full silvery moon, reflected on black water. A voice over him. _Nothing's going to happen to you. Harry will come soon._ Over and over. _Harry will come soon, I promise. _ He wondered how the voice knew, but he was too busy being wrapped in warmth, and content in the knowledge that he was safe. A soft kiss on his forehead. _Harry's coming. Don't worry, love. They won't get you. _


	5. Explorations

Maddy awoke early the next morning after a dreamless sleep. She rolled over in the bed and grabbed her watch. Squinting in near darkness, she could barely make out the position of the hands. Almost seven. She flopped back on the bed and rested a few more minutes, savoring the languorous feeling of being half asleep with nothing pressing to do. A huge yawn escaped her lips, and she lay still with her eyes open, wondering if Sirius was still in bed himself. Then the events of the previous night came flooding back to her, and she felt a fresh wave of regret that, so far, he was nothing like the man she had envisioned. Perhaps, though, she should give him benefit of the doubt. Maybe he'd only been having a bad night. But he had seemed friendly enough with the others, so perhaps it _was_ her, she amended. But what did he mean about leaving home, "presumably never to return"? It was time to ask Remus more questions; or Sirius, better still, _if_ he would answer them. But first, Maddy decided to explore the bedroom and see if there was anything of interest there.

Putting the bedside light on, she pulled herself out of the bed and grabbed her wand. She felt a bit silly doing it, but recalled her own childhood and the need for putting enchantments on some of her possessions so her brother couldn't get into them. Perhaps Sirius had done the same thing, years ago, and fragments of some old hex remained. She definitely didn't want to get caught nosing around in here. A passing memory of her brother with the word _snoop_ scrawled across his face, chasing her through the house in anger, made her snort with amusement.

First, she walked over to the wall where the pasted magazine pictures were attached. Ignoring the muggle girls frozen in provocative poses, she gravitated over to a wizarding photograph of four boys. Sirius was easily recognizable, as was Remus, though both couldn't have been over fifteen or so. Sirius had no facial hair at the time, but was already tall, with long sleek black hair and a confident grin. Remus had, as usual, a more pensive expression, but he smiled at the camera also. Maddy vaguely recognized the shortest one, a slight blonde boy who had evidently suffered from an attack of pimples when this was taken. _Peter Pettigrew_. She felt a wave of nausea take over, and forced herself to take a deep breath and look away until it subsided.

Maddy had not remembered much about the events surrounding Pettigrew's capture and later that night, over a year ago, but Dumbledore had told her a few things once she had regained consciousness. It still felt odd that almost an entire month of her life had been wiped out, starting on that night and the following three weeks lying comatose in St. Mungo's. And for a few months afterward, she couldn't remember much of anything, but then gradually tiny fragments began to come back to her, until, with Albus's help, she managed to piece everything together. She realized that the elder wizard had known what happened all along, but he felt it was healthier for her to attempt rediscovering all the facts on her own. It had been scary and painful, and very slow going, but by end of the following winter, she remembered it all. By then, however, Sirius was long gone and she had thought she may never see him again. She had finally written him a long letter about those events several months back, mailing it with great hesitation, but it remained unanswered, and she assumed now that he had never bothered to read it.

Moving away from the picture for now, Maddy looked toward a small desk that sat in the corner. Pointing her wand at it, she muttered, "_finite incantatem_." Satisfied that she had counteracted any old jinxes on it, she opened a drawer. Scraps of paper littered the interior, but nothing substantial presented itself. She moved down one drawer. A notebook full of parchment, stiff and faded from age, was the only thing in it. Feeling a hint of guilt, she hesitated only a moment before cautiously removing it. She opened it to a random page, full of graceful script, and read a few lines.

_13 August 1972_

_Only a few more weeks til I'm out of the mausoleum, away from the gargoyles (and Kreacher) and back with James and the guys. Goals as follows:_

_-trips to Hogsmeade this year_

_-continue torturing Snivellus until he begs like a little girl for us to stop_

_-narrow down applicable subjects for OWL study in fifth year. Or not._

_-work on solving R's 'furry little problem' _

Then a knock sounded at the door, startling her, and Maddy quickly returned the notebook to its drawer and shut it quietly. Glancing down at her appearance, she decided she was presentable in shorts and a tee shirt. She ran a few fingers through her hair to tidy it and went over to door, opening it. Remus was standing there alone.

"My apologies, Maddy. I saw a light on under the door, so I thought I'd speak to you for a moment. Everything okay?"

She nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I did want to speak to you about that. What the hell was going on last night?" She peeked around Remus to make sure Sirius wasn't close by.

He shrugged. "I'm sorry about that, Maddy. Sirius can be a bit ... temperamental at times. He left this house as a teenager, and things weren't good for him here. And he didn't say it, but I wonder if he was thrown off seeing you. He looked a bit shocked when we showed up here."

"I thought he knew I was coming, though."

"Well, I know Albus told him a few things, and had requested that you be allowed to live here for the time being. But at any rate, I really knocked to let you know I'll be out most of the day. Tonks and I have some Order business to work on. And I'm afraid there's yet another meeting this evening, as Severus couldn't make the other one. He will be here with a report on some things. And Tonks, Moody – remember him? - and some others are going to collect Harry. So he and some of his friends will be staying here as well, until school starts."

"Good! I'll be looking forward to seeing them. So, is Sirius awake?"

"Yeah, he's down in the kitchen having breakfast." A muffled clanging noise came from above. "Oh, and have you met Kreacher yet? He's the house elf. Not nearly as nice as Sirius' mum, just to warn you." Remus grinned. "Wait, you haven't had the pleasure yet, though! But watch your stuff. He's already nicked a few little things of mine."

"Sirius' mum? I thought she was long dead."

Remus laughed. "Her portrait lives on, as you were likely warned. And definitely a reason for Sirius to be in a foul mood, though he doesn't need to take it out on you, of course. I won't spoil that surprise for you, though." He winked. "See you later. He won't bite, don't worry."

"Kreacher or Sirius?" she called out as he walked away. She could hear his laugh in answer, but she wasn't entirely sure she was joking.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy ran a brush through her hair and put some clothes on as her stomach growled ominously. She walked the dim hallway to the stairs and padded down to the main floor. Old Mrs. Black's portrait snored and wheezed, and Maddy tiptoed past it, though she was curious about how much commotion a portrait could really make. She had never heard any at Hogwarts speak louder than in a conversational tone. She moved stealthily on down the hall to the basement stairs. Once at the bottom step, a loud creak under her foot gave her away, and Sirius turned to look at her. "Decide to wake up?"

"Yeah," Maddy answered neutrally. He watched her for a moment, then turned back to the paper.

"Coffee's made," he said distractedly as he read the front page.

"Thanks." She walked over to it and poured a cup, then searched close by looking for sugar.

"It's there," he said, reading her mind as he pointed to another location on the counter.

Once she had prepared it, Maddy sat down at the table next to Sirius. After a few awkward moments of staring off into space as he read, she finally decided to speak, and asked him a question she had been wondering for some time. "What did you do after the whole, er, mess with Pettigrew was cleared up?"

He looked over the _Prophet_ at her. "I moved back to London. Found a place to live ... in peace, once people went away."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Everyone wanted to talk to me, ask me what happened. Thought I was a novelty. I really just wanted to be left alone. Finally, the attention began to taper off."

"Do you _remember_ what happened that night?" she couldn't resist asking curiously.

He sighed noisily. "Well, that's just what I mean. I can't get away from it. So don't you bother asking either." He went back to the paper, now ignoring her.

"Do you remember any visitors in Azkaban?" Maddy pressed, changing the subject. She looked over at him once more.

"Listen. If you're going to stay here, I have a few rules. _ No_ asking about Azkaban. And don't worry your pretty little head about what happened last summer, either. It is _none _of your concern. Now. Finished?" He looked pointedly at her.

She didn't answer, but got up to find something to eat, though she felt her appetite was gone. He scowled at her for a moment, then went back to reading.

Maddy turned around and faced him. "Do you have any idea why I'm here?"

"Yes. You're hiding from Voldemort. Something about divination. Sounds rather silly, to be honest. I figured he had more sense than to believe that stuff."

Maddy ignored his apparent goading. "I suppose you would just stay out in the open?" she asked.

"Well, yes, I probably would. Anyway, Albus said you'd been ill or something as well, and are still recovering."

"Yes, since June of last year. I'm mostly better now, though. Listen, Sirius, that's one reason I asked you those questions. I would really like to talk to you about that. It's import-"

"No!" He snorted in disgust and stood up, slamming the paper down. "Can you not give it a rest? I'm leaving." Shoving the chair back, he walked out of the room and pounded up the stairs. A distant door slammed loudly, and suddenly a woman's ear-splitting scream rang out upstairs, followed by a steady stream of insults.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius walked briskly down the street, searching for an out of the way place to disapparate. He quickly thought of a few places to go, and Godric's Hollow was at the top of the list. Ducking into an alleyway, he left Grimmauld Place and shortly arrived in the woods close by the village where Harry's parents had lived and died. This was the most peaceful place he knew of, even more so than Hogwarts, though the school was a close second. He had come here frequently in the days after he had been freed, to escape once more, in a way.

It was a warm morning, and the sun was bright. He squinted as he turned into the main thoroughfare, passing a few people and nodding slightly in their direction. Walking purposefully, he came to the square and paused, as always, at the obelisk, which magically transformed into a statue of James and Lily, who was holding baby Harry. After a moment, he continued to the ruins of their cottage, though he never got close enough to wade into the midst of them. He was content to stand there and watch over it for a while. Sirius knew that the villagers who lived on either side probably wondered about the fascination the dark-haired man had with an empty lot, but no one ever asked questions.

He walked away slowly, moving on to the graveyard. This was a place he could stay as long as he wanted and not be noticed. Once through the kissing gate, he made his way straight back to James and Lily's graves; a distance he could have covered with his eyes shut. He arrived and stood quietly once more, paying his respects to his dearest friend.

Sinking down next to the headstone, Sirius tried to empty his mind, but couldn't. He hated that time with his dead friends was wasted as he thought of the wretched nosy little witch he was now stuck with. _For now, anyway_, he added ominously to himself. He planned to alter this arrangement as soon as possible. Perhaps Dumbledore might be convinced to change his mind and send her somewhere else. He had actually felt guilty the previous night over his brusque manner toward her, and was going to offer an apology, at least until she started right in with the questions this morning. _What is it with people, Prongs_? he thought with disgust. _Have I not been through enough? Do I have to keep thinking about a bunch of wasted years? Stupid girl._

_I dunno, Sirius, _James replied. _I think she means well. Can you take it as a compliment that Dumbledore picked you to protect her? _Sirius knew it was really his own conscience intruding in his thoughts, but he always liked to pretend he was having a conversation with James. Prongs continued. _The woman's in danger, after all, like it or not. Surely you can stand that mouldy old place a bit longer. I mean, think of it. She's pretty, and seems very clever; she'd have to be to teach at Hogwarts. We'd have called her a PILF back in the day; admit it - ha!. What's the harm in being nice to her?_

_Aw, shut it, Prongs. _Sirius didn't feel like dealing with an attack of conscience just now, after all. He tried once more, unsuccessfully, to corral his thoughts and move on to other things, but it wasn't working. He stood up, dusting himself off. _Prongs, Lily, I may be back. I'm off to go for a stroll now. _He left the graveyard, going back past the square and into the woods once more. Then he changed into Padfoot and went for a long run.


	6. A Little Experiment

**Rated 'M' **

Maddy lay in bed that night, reading Sirius' old diary and listening to the sounds of a scuffle upstairs. Undoubtedly, the Weasley brothers were still awake despite the late hour. Shortly thereafter, she could hear the piercing voice of Molly Weasley, muffled from being one floor up, warning them for probably the umpteenth time to get into bed. Everyone else was quiet, and Maddy was sure that Harry was probably awake and worried sick about his upcoming appearance before the Wizengamot a few days away, which had been a major topic of conversation since his arrival. The entrance of the Weasley clan before him had heralded an evening of riotous behavior, which she wasn't used to. Hermione, one of her favorite former students, had come with them, and was much quieter, as was Harry, though his entrance was more dramatic. Maddy had never been very comfortable on a broom, and was impressed by the story of their trip out of Surrey and through London. The meeting had temporarily ended her visit with the students, however. Severus Snape had come bearing a report on death eater activities, inciting Sirius to spar mercilessly with him for the duration of the meeting, though each held his own. She had only interrupted one such barb from Snape.

_"Hiding in your mother's house, Black?"_

_Sirius had glared at him malevolently, and Maddy felt she ought to speak up. "C'mon, Sev, you know it's _me_ hiding in his mother's house." She knew Severus hated any sort of nickname, and she had always endeavored to call him that when possible, in a futile effort to lighten him up. He glared at her as usual, and she smiled sweetly. Sirius had looked thoughtfully at her, but said nothing else to Snape to goad him after that._

Now her mind gravitated to Harry's dreams, in which he seemed to have the ability to inhabit Voldemort's mind. A strange connection existed between them, possibly borne of a few different things; Voldemort's initial downfall and having the Avada Kedavra spell reversed back on him, and then taking Harry's blood very recently to become _whole_ again, if one could call it that. The dark lord apparently didn't know about this portal, so to speak, that gave Harry a glimpse into his mind. At least so far and fortunately for Harry. They all knew the visions were playing havoc with his own mind, though, and Maddy felt sorry for the boy. She knew he wasn't looking forward to occlumency lessons with Professor Snape that were now necessary to circumvent Voldemort doing the same thing to him.

She flipped several pages back in Sirius' journal, much of which was filled with boyhood complaints against his family's enthusiasm over dark things. She came to something in particular which seemed very familiar and unusual, though it was only a brief mention.

_Hogwarts can't come fast enough for me. Mother forced me into this awful thing with some little girl at the party last night in front of everyone. Her mother cut me and said she was giving me to her daughter. Mum said it was to help the dark lord. These people are all crazy. Am I the only sane one? I'm going to have a scar now. Bella tried to scare me, saying the kid was my wife. NO WAY._

Thinking of her own visions over the years, she pondered the reason for them as she put the light out and lay in bed, breathing slowly and evenly. What had ever given her a connection to someone like Sirius Black? Was she the little girl that he was forced to bond his own blood with? She could barely remember anything about it, but his account triggered something in her, and she suddenly had a vague recollection of her mother cutting a small _s _on her wrist in front of a crowd of people, causing her to scream in fear and pain. She remembered an older dark haired girl leering at her, and a boy who was as resistant as she to being shoved close to her, his wrist put next to hers, allowing their blood to mingle. She remembered her mother, in tears, rocking her to sleep that night, telling her she was sorry. Now Maddy put the light on once more and, for the first time in years, examined the faded scar on her left wrist. A faint milky white _s_ still existed there, though she had to look closely to notice it. Putting the light back out, she laid her head back on the pillow, thinking more about being bonded to Sirius. Was this the root of the visions? Some sort of blood oath? She made a note to research it.

Then a recent dream came back to her. She and Sirius, writhing together like snakes, on the floor of what turned out to be the drawing room in Grimmauld Place. She now opened her eyes wide, thinking how good, and _real_, that had been. She remembered the taste of his salty skin, exploring the muscles in his lean body with her hands, feeling the tickle of his beard as he kissed her roughly, and the exquisite sensation of being entered repeatedly as he whispered her name. _Madeleine_. Then she had woken up, quite alone, and severely disappointed.

A tiny thought nudged its way into her brain. What if she could make _him_ dream something like that? Would he realize what was happening; that someone was meddling with his mind? Or would he just think it was an incredibly erotic dream? She felt immediately guilty for even entertaining the idea. It was dangerous, and could backfire in unpleasant ways. It might inspire him to go straight to whatever ladyfriend he saw and use the ideas on her, and not think twice about Maddy. But, on the other hand, perhaps he would begin to see her differently, if it happened often enough. Not too much, however; she wouldn't want to overdo it and rouse suspicion. Just an innocent dream here and there. Then Maddy rolled her eyes at her own devilishness. What she was considering was strongly against the rules of wizardry, and while she likely wouldn't get into trouble for it, she would be violating Sirius' privacy, _in spades_, she thought guiltily.

Once planted in her mind, though, the thought wouldn't go away until she finally drifted off to sleep. Then she woke up the next morning, early, and a fully-formed plan already existed in her mind, unconsciously woven together as she slept. Maybe this night, she thought, if she could summon the courage, she would give Sirius a reason to be a bit friendlier.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Unfortunately, Maddy's little scheme had to be put on hold for the time being. Molly Weasley had decided that the entire house wasn't fit even for Order meetings, much less people actually living inside it. The crew of teenagers and adults were assigned various duties, none of which were exactly pleasant, and most of the day was taken up with everyone getting extremely dirty, bitten, and poisoned in an effort to combat the house's own attempts to avoid cleaning. Kreacher was thrown out of rooms so many times that he finally dissolved into frustrated tears and muttered curses under his breath, much to Sirius' amusement. The last time, Maddy had to stifle a giggle as the elf stalked away angrily, and when she looked up, she noticed Sirius looking at her. Their eyes met for only a few seconds before he looked away, but at least he had been staring intently at her. She felt buoyed by it, and renewed her private vow to attempt to invade his mind this night. The thought gave her a tiny thrill of excitement, in a giddy, school-girlish way.

She finished her duties that afternoon and took a hot, leisurely bath before dinner, still thinking about what the night would bring and exactly what kind of memorable dream she planned to undertake with Sirius. After toweling off, Maddy looked in the mirror, examining herself. If she were going to insinuate herself into Sirius' mind, she wanted to look desirable tonight. She paid extra attention to applying makeup and used a styling charm on her hair as she rehearsed things silently. If she were to be successful, she thought, it would depend on being completely in the moment and improvising where necessary. She knew quite a bit about legilimency, having played around with it at school with her friends, though somewhat less about astral projection. She assumed that what she planned was somewhere in between the two. She had no idea, however, if Sirius would be able to read her thoughts if she were _in _his mind. So it was better to plan everything ahead that she could, and tackle obstacles on the spot as they came up. All of which was a bit dangerous.

Once satisfied that she looked reasonably attractive, Maddy bounded down the steps to the kitchen, taking care to walk more softly as she passed Mrs. Black's portrait. Then she continued down to the basement, where Molly currently had several things going at once with the aid of a wand. Tonks was already there, attempting to be helpful, much to Molly's exasperation.

"Oh, hello, Maddy! Well, don't you look nice." Mrs. Weasley called out cheerfully. "Careful, dear!" she admonished Tonks at the same time, as the pink-haired witch brushed past a ceramic knickknack perched on the edge of the sideboard, causing it to crash to the ground. Maddy took her wand out and repaired the object, placing it back on the cabinet.

"Thanks," Tonks said quietly out of the side of her mouth. She grinned at Maddy conspiratorially, taking in her appearance. Remus had, with Maddy's permission, already told Tonks a few things about the curious situation between herself and Sirius, mostly to allay the other witch's fears that something might be brewing between Remus and Maddy, given their close friendship. Tonks was much more talkative now as a result, and chatted enthusiastically.

"Anything I can help with?" Maddy asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh, well, you can open that bottle of wine there, but really, there's nothing else to be done at the moment." She deftly coordinated the preparations for a while longer as the two younger witches talked about Hogwarts, and what things had changed since Tonks' graduation.

The three women sipped wine and talked until dinner was complete, then Tonks went upstairs to gather the others. Everyone made their way down to the kitchen; Harry, Hermione, the Weasley clan were first, followed closely by the adults, with Sirius bringing up the rear. He looked positively resplendent now, with his dark clothing wrapped in a rich velvet long coat, and was entirely in his element as man of the house. Even if it was a house he despised. Maddy stole a look at him as he spoke to Arthur Weasley. He noticed, and glanced back at her inscrutably while still speaking. She smiled a little, then looked back toward Tonks, who had been talking to her.

Dinner was mostly a rowdy affair, with Hermione insisting on sitting next to Maddy to pick her brain about what Professor Vector might have in store for them this year.

"Well, I suppose you'll get more in-depth training on the Chaldean method if you stick with it. It's, well, as you know, the least popular of the two. I expect you've got the numbers all memorized by now, though," Maddy said, smiling at Hermione's reputation for being an excellent student.

"Oh, yeah, I did that two years ago," the girl answered loftily. "But which one do _you_ prefer? I mean, is one better than the other? I don't recall you ever saying."

Maddy tried to be diplomatic. "I never had a preference, to be honest. Do you find that any of it is actually ... _accurate_ in its predictions?"

"Well-" the girl began.

"I always thought it was a load of old bollocks," interrupted a voice from the head of the table. Heads swiveled in that direction to see Sirius taking a sip of wine and smirking. Hermione's face turned beet red, but Maddy only studied him curiously.

"Oh, no! It's very interesting, and it's my favorite subject. I'm planning on going NEWT with it." Hermione said defensively in his direction. "Maybe I'll be a curse-breaker at Gringotts, like Professor O'Hannon used to do."

"Indeed?" Sirius smiled. "Well, I suppose it's good for that, at least. _Madeleine_," he continued, emphasizing her formal name, "but what do you think about the subject?"

Maddy was slightly taken aback by his interrogation, but refused to let him get the best of her. "Sorry, Hermione," she said with a hint of amusement, "but I have to agree with _Sirius_." She mocked his heavy undertone. "It really is a lot of crap, in my opinion." She laughed heartily, as did everyone else except Hermione, and put her arm around the offended girl to comfort her with a quick hug. "No, really, it's very useful for curse breaking, and, well, _someone_ has to do that, I suppose. But it was just something I was very good at, and I had no more idea what to do with my life than to take the apprenticeship at Gringotts at the time. Then Albus contacted me when Vector took a leave of absence to care for her ill mother, and I wound up at Hogwarts. I did enjoy teaching, though, even though it was a subject I don't fully, er, believe in." She shrugged and took a sip of wine, shooting Sirius a triumphant glance.

He wasn't finished, though. "But your real talent lies more in conventional forms of divination, Madeleine, correct? Perhaps you should have done Professor Trelawney's- was it?- job instead." He was obviously enjoying this bit of verbal sparring, as he had with Snape the previous night. He smiled pompously at her as he spoke.

Fred Weasley broke in and snorted loudly. "As if old Trelawney would let her! Poor Professor O'Hannon has had her death foretold more than any other person at Hogwarts, including Harry!" He nodded in Harry's direction, though the boy remained quiet, smiling at her for confirmation. Fred had nursed a bit of a crush on Maddy for some time now, and was inclined to defend her against any ridiculous old loonies like Trelawney, as he saw her.

"Well, that's true," Maddy conceded, laughing once more. "I've had more dire predictions about my death than anyone else, though fortunately they've yet to come true. Trelawney's a bit possessive of her position, Harry," she explained at his confused look. "She knew seers run in my family, and I expect she felt her little prophecies were a form of, ah, job security for her. As if I'd want_ that_ position!" Maddy snorted, taking another sip of wine. She was beginning to feel a bit tipsy, and the bold sense of ingenuity came over her once more. This would definitely be the night she attempted to plant herself in Sirius' mind.

Other topics came up, and she was content to sit and listen now rather than participate, though she could sense Sirius looking at her from time to time. _Bring it on, mate_, she thought brazenly. The whole scene for that night was already mapped out in her mind, and she was eager for everyone to go to bed.

Finally, dinner and coffee came to an end, and everyone began to drift off toward their bedrooms. Maddy was one of the last to leave, to be sure Sirius was headed that way. She was willing to wait quite a while before attempting her objective, wanting to ensure he was sleeping deeply first. She prepared for bed, imagining what she should wear and how she wanted to look. This was a dream, after all. She supposed she could vamp herself up a bit, she thought, grinning to herself, and considered various options in that department.

Then, a tiny feeling of dread took over. What if he was in the midst of a bad dream when she appeared? Should she try to make it better, or just bow out and perhaps try another time? What if it didn't work at all? Pushing it aside, Maddy decided to consider this merely an experiment, and if she didn't succeed, no harm done, and she would never try it again.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy awoke with a jolt. _Shit_. She had fallen asleep herself. Putting on the light, she glanced at her watch. It was 2:35 am. Oh well. Probably better this way, she thought. At least she was a bit rested, which would make this little study easier to conduct. She put the light back out, and lay there silently. The guilty feeling swept over her once more. This might be considered a teensy bit of dark magic. But no matter. She reclined peacefully on the bed, taking in her surroundings and filling herself up with the quietness of the house, meditating. Once she had achieved a slower rate of breathing, she considered the silent beat of her heart. The slow, steady thump that reverberated through her body was even more relaxing, and soon she seemed to be in more of a trance-like state.

Then suddenly and more easily than she had expected, she _thought_ her way out of the bedroom, gliding down the hallway and past a mirror, where she checked in the dim light of a lamp close by and, remarkably, couldn't see herself. She floated to Sirius' closed door. She imagined herself going through it, and realized she was now in his dark bedroom. The light in the loo was on, though that door remained closed, and it gave the room a tiny bit of light to see with. Maddy felt other-worldly by now, gliding silently, like a ghost, toward the sleeping man. Sirius was lying on his belly, with his head turned to the side. He slept deeply, and Maddy, in her own dreamlike trance, watched over him. Concentrating heavily on his dream, Maddy saw the room begin to dissipate, and she managed to slide her invisible self into Sirius' mind. She looked at her surroundings. Gradually a mist began to clear, and she could see what he was dreaming about. He was walking through London, feeling confident and carefree. The Leaky Cauldron suddenly appeared, and he went through the door. She followed him at a short distance. He hadn't noticed her yet. Then, he was out of the Cauldron and wandering through Diagon Alley, now completely naked. Crowds of people littered the street, and they all stopped what they were doing to watch in astonishment as Sirius walked by. She could feel how distressed this made him. Diagon Alley disappeared suddenly, replaced by a thick forest where they were completely alone. Something about the forest was very familiar, but she didn't know exactly why. Dodging around trees, she followed closely and decided it was time for him to see her. Making a branch appear on the ground in front of her, she stepped on it deliberately, forcing it to break in two, with a _crack_.

"Sirius," she spoke with a silvery voice. He turned around, startled. "I've been looking for you."

"You have?" he asked, clearly confused by her appearance. He looked her over thoroughly and she could feel that he liked what he saw.

A sudden brain wave hit. "You haven't been very nice to me. You could do better," she said softly, though without anger. Moving closer to him, she looked down at herself and could feel whatever clothing she had on disappearing. She was soon completely naked as well, and not of her own volition. "Did you do this? Well, that was quick."

"I wanted to see what you look like," he said.

"And how long have you wanted that?"

"Since the first night."

"We've met before, you know."

"I do know that, yes. Well, not usually, but now I know where I've seen you. By the lake." A soft breeze blew through the air, but the chill didn't affect them.

"Are you going to replace my clothing?"

"I think not. I like seeing you naked."

"Do you hate me?" Maddy asked. She wanted to get that out of the way.

"No. You frighten me." He looked away.

"How? I don't mean to."

"There are things I just don't want to think about."

"Yeah, well, neither do I." She was angry suddenly, but fought to control it. Another thought quickly occurred to her. "Who's the girlfriend?"

"Nobody. Someone I met recently."

"Does she love you?"

"Me? No. She just wants someone to fuck around with. I haven't decided if I care to bother."

Maddy moved so close to him that she could feel his misty breath against her face. Her breasts brushed against his chest, and he looked down at her nipples, which had grown hard. She put her hands around his waist, feeling his sweet warmth. "This feels like we're Adam and Eve," she murmured, smiling at him.

"What do you want from me, Madeleine? Am I good enough for _you_?"

"I've cared for you for years. Don't forget that when you wake up. You know how everyone says I have the sight? You're what I see, every time. I can't stop thinking about you. I think you should improve your attitude first, though."

He was entranced by her, and reached out to cup a breast hesitantly.

"Kiss me," Maddy said. He did, softly at first. She moved her hand until it touched his cock lightly, and he gasped. "Merlin, you have the most beautiful body," she whispered, unable to help herself.

"Madeleine. Your name is lovely. Not Maddy, though. It doesn't really suit you." Suddenly his lips devoured hers, and he kissed her urgently and roughly, as though it had been years. They broke away, and she looked at him. Now he was the severely thin, wasted man that she had seen in Azkaban, and by the lake at Hogwarts. Scraggly beard, prominent cheekbones and sunken eyes.

"What do you think now?" His soft tone was suddenly sardonic.

Maddy's took her hands and felt the protruding rib cage and hip bones that stuck out. "You're the same person, aren't you? Do you imagine that I'll think any differently? The first time I saw you, you looked like this. I'm not shocked." She kissed him on the mouth. He tasted good.

"You're not?" he asked earnestly, and kissed her once more. "You care that much for me? I can't remember the last time anyone said I looked good."

Another noise made them both turn. A blonde woman was walking cautiously among the trees toward the two of them, and saw both still naked and aroused. "Oh, God," he muttered. "Go away." Maddy knew instinctively he didn't mean her.

"Who are _you_?" the other woman asked, taking Maddy's body in. "Plan on sharing him?"

Maddy felt rather bold. "Oh, I don't think so. I'll just keep him to myself." She took him in her hand once more, and watched him catch his breath with pleasure. "Want to watch?" she asked the woman insolently. "Get rid of her," she whispered to Sirius.

The forest began to dim, and as it faded, she realized in a panic that he must be waking up. Maddy scrambled to regain her bearings, and was removed from his bedroom quickly, zipping uncontrollably down the hallway to her room and back in her own body with a gasp. Her skin felt very cold, in spite of the blanket. She shivered involuntarily, pulling the blanket up around her in an attempt to warm up. Putting on the light, she saw that the time was now 2:59. She fell back on the bed, too exhausted to put it back out again, and immediately fell into a deep sleep.


	7. Some Interesting Discoveries

Maddy scrubbed her face, looking into the tarnished mirror at her eyes, which were extremely puffy and red. _Damn_. Whatever anyone could call what she had done during the night, it had certainly taken a physical toll on her. She still felt exhausted. But her experiment had been a success. It _was_ possible to observe and influence Sirius' dreams. She felt triumphant and smiled at the mirror smugly, thinking of what had been said between the two of them. The blonde woman showing up had been the only damper on the whole thing; the rest had been lovely. Then she sighed, looking at her face; she would have to use the wand to fix her eyes. After she did, she twisted her hair into a loose bun at the nape of her neck to keep it out of her face, and went back into the bedroom. Dim light through the filthy window in the room gave no indication of what time it was, but she didn't bother checking her watch, assuming it must be fairly early. She felt she'd been sleeping for no more than three or four hours, anyway.

Feeling newly optimistic about the situation with Sirius, Maddy got dressed and combed her hair, then traipsed down the stairs to see where everyone was. She didn't get very far before running into Ron Weasley on the ground floor, flanked by Harry, Hermione and Sirius himself. Her heart stopped for a second as she looked at him. He wore a white shirt and jeans with a red waistcoat. Looking past the kids, she couldn't help gazing appreciatively at him, and he noticed, looking back at her in surprise. "Are you alright, Professor?" Hermione asked tentatively. Maddy blinked, finally tearing her eyes away from him.

"Oh ... yeah. Why?"

"Well, it's almost noon. We were worried about you."

"Do you usually sleep so late, Madeleine?" Sirius asked, and he appeared uncertain whether to be concerned or amused.

_Crikey_. "Noon? No. Didn't know what time it was. Did you sleep well?" she asked Sirius boldly.

His mouth opened soundlessly. Then, he managed, "Yes, of course. Though not as well as you, apparently." Now he was really amused, and a hint of a smile touched his face.

"You look very handsome." Maddy usually wasn't much of a flirt, but Sirius' comments during the dream had bolstered her ego to no end. The kids looked back and forth between them.

"Oh. Well, thank you. I'm going out for a while."

A tiny feeling of dread inched its way in, interfering with her mood. "Really? Where on earth are you going so dressed up?"

He was silent at first, then shrugged. "I have a lunch date. With a ... friend."

Before she thought about it, Maddy asked, "The blonde lady?" Then she regretted opening her mouth. Making unguarded comments like that could jeopardize her little scheme and get her into trouble. There was no way she wanted Sirius to ever find out what she was up to. But her spirits had already plummeted to rock bottom with his last statement. Hermione and Harry exchanged another glance.

"How did you know? But, yeah, that's the one," Sirius said casually.

Maddy tried to smile and move past them. "Oh, Remus mentioned her once. Well, have a nice time." She left them standing there in the hallway, looking after her as she walked away. Not particularly caring if she was loud as she passed the portrait, she went down to the kitchen.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius didn't bother apparating to meet the witch he had arranged to see that day. He felt more like taking a long walk first. Some days he couldn't get enough of inhaling deep breaths of fresh air, especially at times when he had been thinking about the squalidness of Azkaban. But today wasn't really like that. He couldn't say for sure why, but in spite of being trapped living in the depressing Black house, he felt good for the first time in days. He recalled having an intense dream from the previous night, which Victoria had been in. But _she_ wasn't what was so good about it. Madeleine had been in it, as well. He saw her naked body, and she had touched his own boldly. The thought of it excited him, even as he walked. She hadn't been shy about asking him what the woman meant to him. He snorted to himself, remembering his response, which went something like _she only wants to fuck around_. Maybe that was all he was good for, though, at least at this point in his life. He didn't need a relationship and all the drama that went along with it.

But the way Maddy had looked at him before he left was intriguing. Almost as she had in the dream, as if she wanted him, amazingly, and then she seemed dispirited when she found out where he was going. _Get rid of her_, the dream Madeleine had whispered to him about Victoria. He could still remember how her breath felt against his ear. _Do you hate me? You could be nicer._ Of course he didn't hate her. He just ... well, he didn't know why he had been reacting so strongly against her presence, other than being stuck in that damned house. But now he regretted consenting to this date with Victoria. She seemed so eager for him that she was coming across as a bit desperate, and that was getting to be a huge turn-off. He couldn't shake the notion that he was just a diversion for her, anyway.

His mind shifted back to the dream again. _You're the same person, aren't you? I've seen you like this before_. He recalled thinking he had wanted to scare her by changing his appearance, but she hadn't been upset. Once in a while, though, his mind was particularly clear, which tended to be when he was speaking to James in Godric's Hollow. A flash of a memory would pass before his eyes. He was standing behind the bars of his cell, touching a finger curiously. He looked up, and it was Madeleine that stood before him, with the same look she had given him today. They had both felt a vibration of pleasure, and then he could recall no more. Now he wondered if that could really have happened. Was that why she had asked him if he remembered any visitors in Azkaban? He had snapped at her and told her not to ask him again. But now he found he wanted to talk about it. He wished he could turn around and go back to Grimmauld Place and skip this date. Too late now, though. Victoria was probably already waiting for him in the restaurant she had picked.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Meanwhile, Maddy was preparing her own lunch using leftovers from the previous night. Deep in thought, she mentally kicked herself repeatedly. What a _stupid_ idea she'd had. Inserting herself into Sirius' dream, thinking that was actually going to change anything. If he had a logical bone in his body, he most likely didn't even give the dream a second thought when he awoke, if he even remembered it. At least Maddy was educated about the competition now, having seen the blonde witch. Then she snorted to herself. _Competition?_ She had no chance. And why did she even care? Sirius had been nothing but caustic to her since her arrival. She was behaving like a teenager, using pathetic tactics to catch a man who couldn't care less. It was past time she forgot about all the visions and moved on. Rather hard to do that, though, when the man in question was living in the same house.

Her thoughts were interrupted by yet more noise from upstairs. The portrait had started up again, no doubt by the continual racket created by the Weasley twins and Mrs. Weasley, whose voice seemed to be perpetually raised a few octaves whenever she was around them. Gradually the din subsided, and the sound of footsteps came from the direction of the basement stairs, growing louder. Maddy ignored it and stood at the sink, not bothering to sit at the table as she wolfed down a sandwich made from the previous night's pork roast. She peered through the dingy window which looked out at weeds, until she heard the familiar creak of the bottom step.

She turned around to see who was standing there. It was Ginny, with an apologetic look on her face. "Uh, Professor? Mum wants to know if you can help us clean upstairs today."

Maddy tried to smile, rather unsuccessfully. "I'll be up as soon as I've finished eating. And you can call me Maddy."

"Oh. Right. I'll tell her." Ginny backed away, suddenly shy, then turned and went up the steps. Maddy turned back to her food, brooding about Sirius' date with the blonde woman. Finally, she cleaned her plate off, putting it in the sink, and trudged up the stairs, preparing to be ordered around by Molly for a while. She was fond of the woman, but found her to be somewhat overbearing at times. Probably molded that way after raising seven kids, Maddy thought, and she felt rather impressed by _that_ feat. She thought of her own child and the pregnancy that she had _seen_ several years ago. It still stood out in her mind. How Sirius had looked tenderly at her and whispered to her belly. She sighed and tried to stop thinking about him.

After being advised of the day's cleaning duties by Mrs. Weasley, Maddy went to work, alongside the kids, in continuing to rid the drawing room of doxies. She didn't feel like saying much, but worked quietly, only speaking in answer to specific questions. Hermione had the unfortunate habit of asking extremely detailed questions about arithmancy and Gringotts, and Maddy was in the midst of issuing yet another half-hearted reply when a doxy managed to buzz over to her and bite her finger.

"Fuck!" she exclaimed involuntarily, knocking the doxy hard across the room in retaliation. "Where's the bleedin' antidote?" Harry scurried to retrieve it from Mrs. Weasley, who wore an expression of deep disapproval, though she was silent for the moment. Regretfully, that state of affairs didn't last long, and after Maddy had swallowed the bitter liquid, the other woman launched into a protracted diatribe about what kind of language was appropriate around teenagers.

Maddy would have loved nothing better than to leave the house and never look back at that point, but she finally managed to cut Molly off. "I'm fully aware that 'fuck' is not an appropriate word, _dear_," she emphasized Molly's own sarcastic use of the word. "But when a fucking doxy bites me, it fucking hurts, and I will probably be guilty of using the word 'fuck' once or twice, maybe more!" She massaged her swollen finger gingerly while glaring at Molly, whose face had turned puce, ironically the same shade as the bitten finger. Meanwhile, the kids in the room looked as though they would dearly love to burst out laughing but dared not. She ignored them and turned toward the door, then started abruptly. Sirius was standing there, looking very stern.

"Madeleine? I'd like a word. Out here. _Now,_" he added at her inability to move, being rooted to the spot in surprise. Molly appeared triumphant that the lord of the manor was here to take control of the situation. Maddy gritted her teeth and left the room, intending that he be the next person to get a piece of her mind, if he thought he was telling her _anything_. He walked purposefully down the hallway, with a hand touching her back, and down the back stairs. Then he beckoned for her to follow until he came to a large room that she hadn't yet discovered.

He whirled around. "Would you like to tell me just what the _fuck_ is going on up there?" Then he burst into peals of helpless laughter, renewed every time he looked back at her. She rolled her eyes and stood there in silence with her arms crossed until he managed to stop. "I thought Ron Weasley was going to have an apoplexy seeing you talk like that! Good one, putting ol' Molly in her place. I've been dying to do that ever since they've been here." He wiped his eyes with his shirt sleeve, then stood watching her with the first smile she had seen since her arrival. Well, awake, at least. "I just brought you down here because I figured you needed a rest. How's your finger?" He moved closer to get a look at it.

Maddy was familiar with the tension between Sirius and Molly, and started to answer him on that topic, but realized something else. "Oh, it's fine. You weren't gone very long," she said curiously.

"No. Ah, something came up," he said, looking away for a moment. "We had a quick drink and I came on back. Is it healing alright?" He lightly touched it, making her draw her breath in surprise. She had a sudden memory of him doing exactly the same thing on another occasion.

"Yeah, it's better now." She looked down at the swollen digit, which had changed colors several times and was now a mustardy yellow. The swelling had improved a bit, though, due to the antidote.

As she digested his comment about the lunch date, he said something else that surprised her. "I have a question for you."

"What's that?" she asked.

He paused, then forged ahead. "Do you have any ... tattoos on your body? I know that's a rather personal question and all, but ..." he broke off, looking embarrassed.

"Yeah. One," she answered, wondering why he was asking. She knew he had several splayed over his chest, having _seen_ them repeatedly. Maybe the subject just fascinated him.

"Mind if I ask what it is?"

"No. It's a rune symbol, the one for protection. On my lower back." Maddy felt embarrassed, knowing exactly why she had put that particular tattoo on her body.

He looked satisfied, as if he had gotten the answer he wanted.

"Why?" she asked.

His gaze shifted once more. "Just wondering. What made you want one like that?"

Now she averted her eyes. "I'd seen it before, once. It meant something to me."

He continued. "You know, you asked me if I remembered any visitors when I was in Azkaban. Why did you want to know?"

She looked closely at his face for any signs of antagonism. But he looked perfectly serious, so she answered him honestly. "_I _came to see you."

"You did? When? Why? I don't remember, well, not really." The questions rolled off his tongue in succession before he could help himself.

"I, uh, don't remember much of it either, unfortunately. But it wasn't long before you escaped. I only recall walking up to you and speaking for a moment, then the next thing I knew, Albus was trying to feed me chocolate and I was retching."

"But why would you be there? Why come to see me?"

Maddy wasn't expecting to be asked the question now, and was unprepared. "I, uh, well, I'd _seen _you before, quite a bit, actually. I felt there was some reason for it, and I thought if I visited and talked to you, maybe I could figure it out."

"Seen me? Where?"

"You know ... in visions." It sounded rather ridiculous saying it out loud.

A voice came from the doorway. "Are you feeling better now, Maddy?" It was Fred Weasley standing there. "Mum wanted me to check on you ... see if you're fit to come back upstairs, and have washed your mouth out with soap and all that." He grinned evilly.

"I'm getting ready to do that just now," Maddy replied with some sarcasm. Sirius looked irritated at this intrusion, but he shrugged.

"I'd like to speak to you later," he said urgently, though he moved aside so she could pass him. Maddy didn't particularly want to leave him, but perhaps if she could work in silence, she could think about a more appropriate way to answer him. She nodded and walked out of the room reluctantly.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The afternoon passed quickly. Following Maddy's outburst earlier, the kids, aside from Fred, left her mostly alone, seeming rather in awe of her now. She thought about the visit to Azkaban, which seemed as though it had been a lifetime ago. She hadn't been back very long, however, when Sirius' shadow darkened the doorway once more. He had changed clothes and now wore a black tee and jeans. Maddy stole an admiring look at him.

"Coming to help, Sirius?" Molly called out.

"Obviously," he muttered under his breath, but answered, "Yes," loud enough for Mrs. Weasley to hear. He worked beside Maddy, throwing items in large sacks that he felt were useless. Kreacher kept sneaking in to swipe items out of the bag when he thought no one was looking, and Sirius raised his voice at him each time. "Out!" he finally shouted when the house elf tried to sneak away with some old family photographs. Kreacher assumed his usual long suffering expression as he prostrated himself before his master, groveling. Soon, though, he began muttering under his breath.

"Oh, my poor mistress, all the filth that has been let into the house; the blood traitors, the mudblood,-" His tirade was interrupted by Sirius ejecting him bodily from the room, screaming "Enough!" Molly looked exasperated at Sirius' thundering tone, which Maddy thought was pretty ironic considering the shrill sound the woman's own voice took frequently. She found herself already wishing for the day the kids would return to school and the Weasley parents were due back to their own home.

Maddy hadn't been working next to Sirius for very long when Harry approached him. "Sirius? Mind if I speak to you?" Harry's appearance before the Wizengamot was the next morning, and he was obviously worried about it, though the others continually reassured him that he would come out just fine.

"Of course not," Sirius answered, and rose to his feet, groaning from being on his knees while cleaning. Maddy smiled at Harry, who left the room with his godfather. She supposed he was asking for advice or reassurance about his meeting the next morning. It was widely speculated that Fudge was trying his best to discredit Harry and Dumbledore, and the unspoken question remained who had sent the dementors to Harry's neighborhood. She wished she was talented enough with her "gift" to use it to that purpose. But much as she tried to hone it and see things that might help the Order out, it was still limited to _seeing _only Sirius whenever her mind felt like it. Could be worse,though, she thought wryly now.

She took extra time getting ready for dinner, remembering how he had mysteriously cut his lunch date short. Perhaps the woman had, she amended pessimistically. Still, Maddy wanted to look good, boosted by her last few conversations with Sirius, so she found a casual summer dress and sandals and put it on, using the wand once again to make her hair hang around her face in loose waves.

As Maddy went downstairs, she reluctantly decided to see if Molly needed help with dinner. After the altercation earlier, she had no desire to be near the woman right now, but figured she should at least apologize for her rude language and hope for the best. Molly appeared to be someone with a long memory, though.

Tonks wasn't there that evening, so there was no one close to Maddy's age to converse with. She walked into the kitchen, where Molly was alone and busy as usual using her wand to make dinner.

"Well! Glad you finally made it down!" Molly said, though not too unkindly. "Would you mind working on the pudding? It's a trifle."

"Of course not," Maddy answered. She took her wand and was just about to wave it over the ingredients when Molly piped up.

"Well, I find that the one-minute version of that recipe doesn't work nearly as well as the manual way," she remarked mildly, though there was a slight edge to her words.

"Oh. Unfortunately we'll have to make do with the one-minute version if you want me to do it, as I have no idea how to make it in the muggle fashion," replied Maddy, and she proceeded to wave her wand anyway. Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips in a thin line but said nothing. Soon it was finished, and sat in a large clear bowl.

"So, Maddy, I hope you never spoke in front of students in that manner while you were teaching," Molly said reprovingly after a few minutes of silence.

"No, I didn't. Just caught off guard by that doxy. Sorry about that," Maddy replied. She heard the creak of the nearby stairs and turned to see Sirius and Remus walking into the kitchen, thankfully.

"Molly, I've already lectured her about all that," Sirius said with a sly look in Maddy's direction. "I can assure you it won't happen again." He quickly opened a bottle of wine and poured himself and Remus a glass. "Madeleine, Molly, would you like some?"

"Absolutely," Maddy said as Molly shook her head.

"I think I'll borrow Madeleine for a few minutes," Sirius said, holding his own glass in one hand while handing her one. "Would you come with me?" He motioned for her to follow him. Remus stayed behind, speaking to Molly. Sirius led her into the same room they had been in earlier in the day.

"I really wanted to speak to you more about everything," he said quietly, cringing when a large crash sounded from a few floors up, making Mrs. Black's portrait start up all over again. "Have a seat," he said. Maddy eased herself down on the ancient sofa, and he sank down next to her. "So where were we? You had visions about me. About what?"

"Oh, just different things. You were much older in them, and-"

"Wait. Much older than I am now?"

"No ... let me back up. I've thought about you since I was a child. You looked like you do now, though at the time they started you must have been a teenager."

"How on earth did you know who you were seeing?"

"I didn't. Not for some years, anyway." Maddy told him about _seeing_ him at age ten with the child and pregnant wife, though she decided not to mention the woman's identity. Then the next time at fifteen, just before he was taken to Azkaban. How she suddenly realized with his picture in the paper that he had murdered several people, and how the visions of him made absolutely no sense, but seemed to increase in frequency through the years. How, when she had been at Hogwarts for a while, she had spoken to more than one person about them. There was Albus, but also Sybil Trelawney, who had been so threatened by hearing that the seer Carol O'Hannon's daughter had her gift that she wouldn't help her out at all in figuring them out. Then, finally, how Maddy had convinced Albus to escort her to Azkaban to speak with the subject of the visions, and the subsequent failure to accomplish that goal.

"So these things you were seeing ... nothing really happened in them?"

She felt silly all of a sudden. "Well, not usually. Just seemed like glimpses into your life. As if you had a perfectly normal life with a family. Things like that."

"So you have no idea why you would have them."

"I, uh, well, no. I did finally theorize that maybe _something_ out there made me see you so that I would be willing to help you in some way. Maybe that was the purpose and nothing more."

"Something out there?"

"Oh, in the universe somewhere. I wouldn't know what. But I recently realized that I met you once when I was a little child." She felt uncomfortable talking about this subject for some reason, and wasn't entirely sure if he would even remember it.

"We met? When?"

"I was four, I think, and you must have been ten or so. At a party. My dad wanted to schmooze with a bunch of the British pureblood families, and there was a big soiree going on one evening."

Sirius looked slightly uneasy now. "Yeah, I seem to remember that. My mother made some nasty woman cut me on my wrist until I bled, and then forced me -" His eyes widened and he stopped speaking. "That wasn't _you_, was it?" He looked horrified. "Dear Merlin, was it?"

Maddy nodded. "It _was_ me. The "nasty" woman was my mother, though I would guess she had been persuaded to do that by my dad or someone else. He was into all the dark stuff. She was a good person."

"I had nightmares for weeks. She muttered some shit in another language. I never knew what she said, but my cousins all made fun of me for getting married. It was horrid."

"Yeah, I remember. I cried the rest of the night. Mum kept telling me she was sorry."

Sirius gave a bitter laugh. "Do you know what the purpose of _that_ was? To show that Voldemort had two people dedicated to him through each other. What a load of crap! Ironically, that was when I began to think much differently than my family. Went away to Hogwarts soon, _thankfully_, and got sorted into Gryffindor, much to their embarrassment." He sat for a minute, regarding her. "So you think _that_ made you have visions about me?" He sounded dubious.

"I dunno. It's as good a guess as any, though." She looked down at the old scar. "Mine's still there. Is yours?"

He pulled up his shirt sleeve. "Yeah, very faint, though," he said, looking down at it.

A knock came from the doorway. This time it was Harry. "Uh, guys? Mrs. Weasley said to tell you dinner was ready." Harry looked tired, and Maddy smiled at him sympathetically. She knew he would be immensely relieved to get tomorrow over with.

Sirius and Maddy stood up to leave the room, and Harry went on ahead. "I just thought of something else," Sirius said as they walked. "When you saw me married with a child ... who was it I was married to? Do you know?"

Maddy looked away from him and continued to walk. "Oh. Yeah, I know. I always knew who it was."

Sirius stopped abruptly. "Well, who was it? I'd like to know something about my future wife so I can be prepared," he said, grinning at his own humor.

She didn't say anything at first. "Well," he pressed, "Who was it?"

Maddy felt her pulse quicken, and turned to him. "Me," she said softly. Then she looked away and walked out of the room, leaving him staring after her in shock.


	8. A Morning and an Evening Out

That evening, three people sat in silence during dinner. Harry was quiet, being understandably anxious about his appearance before the Wizengamot the next morning, though the others tried to comfort him, expressing their confidence that he couldn't possibly be expelled. The second one, Sirius, had his eye on his wineglass the entire time, distractedly rubbing the stem with his thumb and forefinger and staring off into space. He didn't look at Maddy at all. She didn't notice in any event, as she refused to look anywhere in his general direction either, though in her case it was due to intense embarrassment. The other guests held the dinner conversation together, and seemed to realize that something was amiss between the two adults, though they didn't know exactly what.

After dinner was finished, Maddy stayed to help Molly clean the dishes. For once the older lady kept to herself, taking note of Maddy's downcast manner, and she was kinder than she had been all day. Maddy scrubbed dishes the muggle way, not bothering with her wand, and wondered how she might repair the damage. _I don't believe this stuff_, she would tell Sirius. _ It's not as if I think it will really happen_, she wanted to assure him. As she went upstairs that night to get ready for bed, she looked through the entire house for him. Finally she located him in his room, though she hesitated to approach him there.

"Sirius?" she said as she knocked on the bedroom door. A few seconds passed, and then he opened the door in a tee shirt and pajama bottoms.

"Yeah?" His tone was polite, but not inviting.

"I, uh, just wanted to say I feel really ridiculous about what I said earlier. I mean, it's not as if I believe any of that, or -"

"Maddy, are you _still_ thinking about that? I'd forgotten all about it."

"Oh, well, I just felt I should, y'know, at least tell you that."

"Good Lord, I don't believe for a minute that we're ever going to -" He broke off as Harry and Ron passed by, muttering their 'good-nights.' Then he added firmly "- be together in any way. Feel better now?"

She nodded. "Oh ... yeah."

"Good. See you in the morning." She stepped back, startled, as he closed the door. But the next morning, he was nowhere to be found. He was the only person missing from the table at breakfast, and Maddy felt it was due to her, no matter what he had said. He didn't return until early afternoon, and brushed off any questions about his whereabouts. Meanwhile, Harry's crowd were ecstatic once they found out about his win in the chambers of the Ministry. Maddy got the feeling that he had been missing his godfather's presence as well, though.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius was unfailingly polite to Maddy over the next few weeks. She had no tangible reason to believe anything was different about his manner. But she knew something had changed. He had only just improved his mood around her when she had revealed that she had _seen_ them married and with at least one child. Maddy regretted, not for the first time, opening her mouth too quickly and saying things that were ill advised. She hadn't had time to think up a lie, though, as she wasn't expecting him to ask that question in the first place. But polite or no, he mostly avoided speaking to her ever since then, and it was common knowledge that he had been out with the blonde witch, whom everyone now knew was named Victoria, on more than a few occasions since.

With this weighing heavily on her mind, Maddy was growing tired of being indoors all the time at Grimmauld Place. The house was dreary at best, and with all the people inhabiting it, extremely noisy. Lately she felt positively claustrophobic. She had wanted to speak to Albus about allowing her to escape to Hogwarts occasionally, but through the Order grapevine she had it that the Ministry was planning to crack down on the headmaster. He would most likely think it unwise for her to go there given that climate, and she couldn't do anything to get him in trouble with Fudge, who seemed more paranoid by the day.

The night before the kids' return to Hogwarts, Maddy lay in Sirius' old bed looking up at the ceiling, and wondered how to leave Grimmauld Place once in a while without being discovered. She already knew that apparating into the house was impossible, due to the fanatical security measures put in place by Sirius' late father. But apparating _out_ of the house wasn't a problem, as far as she knew. Perhaps if she could apparate somewhere that Voldemort's cohorts wouldn't ever be likely to go, that would work. Not that they were out looking for her at all hours, anyway. And she couldn't risk being seen, which meant doing it at a time when most people were asleep. The thought excited her, even if it was only getting out to go for a quick walk before returning to the house. She could go practically anywhere in Britain, after all, so what was the big deal? She had a reference that should help, as well, called _Apparitions in Great Britain. _It listed wizarding travel tips and convenient muggle-free apparition points for several locations. She would consult it. Then, when it was time to return, she would apparate into the closest alleyway, then quietly come in through the front door. As long as Mrs. Black's portrait wasn't awakened, the plan seemed foolproof.

Finally, as she was about to drift off, one particularly good reason for escaping Grimmauld Place came to her. It would be peaceful and quiet, even beautiful, practically no one would see her, and she would be back before Sirius or Remus awoke. She decided to try it as soon as the other guests were gone.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

A few mornings later, Maddy awoke at 5:45, groaning sleepily as she looked at the time. But she clambered out of bed and pulled on some exercise clothing regardless, letting the thought of running along the beach while breathing fresh ocean air buoy her spirits. After putting her hair up into a ponytail and putting on a jacket in which to keep her wand, she tentatively opened the bedroom door to peer out in the dim light of the hallway. She could hear nothing to indicate that any Grimmauld Place occupants beside herself were awake, and she pulled it shut once more. Standing next to the bed, she thought very clearly about her destination, and, with a _pop_, left the house. Soon afterward, she stood on a small side street close to the beach in Clacton-on-Sea. Maddy was vaguely familiar with the resort town, and wasted no time walking down to the strand. She pulled her wand out for light and strolled over toward the pier to wait on the sunrise. As her surroundings grew gradually more distinct, she increased her step until she was running. The exertion felt good after being cooped up in the house for a month, and she ran as fast as she could for several minutes until her sides split. By then the sun was almost over the horizon, and Maddy stopped, bent over and heaving from her exercise. She dropped down on the sand and sat, sweating, as it rose. The warm orange glow felt wonderful on her face.

When she finally tired of sitting there, she reluctantly pulled herself to her feet and walked off, back to the same location she had apparated into, and quickly returned to Grimmauld Place. Looking left and right, she stepped out of the alleyway and back to the house. It showed itself unwillingly, grating and creaking the whole time, and she carefully opened the door, looking inside to make sure Sirius wasn't anywhere close by. This time she heard the clanking sound of silverware downstairs, and assumed someone must be making breakfast. She apparated quickly up to the bedroom and removed all her clothes, crawling back into bed and falling asleep once more.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Maddy, are you sure you're alright?" Remus wanted to know one evening as they both sat reading. "You just seem very tired lately." They were alone in the house on a Saturday night, and Sirius was out somewhere with his lady friend. The kids had returned to Hogwarts, and the house was extraordinarily quiet ever since.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Maddy lied. In truth, she'd had a few visions, unexpectedly, about Sirius in the last week, which made it very hard to stick to her resolution to let things go on that front. She had continued to steal away very early in the mornings when the weather was good, though she was careful to go to different places, just for extra security. Any place worked if it was one where she could run with abandon and forget this nasty old crypt she was stuck in, _and_ its owner. Thinking back to the visions, she wondered humorlessly exactly who she could complain to about ridding herself of _that _unwanted intrusion into her mind once and for all. _Seeing_ herself with Sirius in the midst of erotic activities was playing havoc with her brain and heart, especially when she was forced to live with the knowledge that he was out, probably doing those exact things with some other witch.

"Are you sure? You just seem so ... drawn."

Maddy looked at him for a moment. "I guess I am. This is just a very hard situation for me. Can't exactly stop thinking about him when I have to see him all the time. And now I made the mistake of telling him about some silly vision I had when I was ten, where we were married. Now he avoids me like the plague. Just when I thought we might actually be friends." She didn't mention who she was talking about, but Remus knew, of course.

"Well, obviously I've known Sirius for years. This is what he does. Dates women who couldn't possibly mean a thing to him. I actually think smart women scare him. Well," he amended, pulling a face, "not necessarily just that they're _smart_ women, per se. Women who have the potential to really matter to him. That would be his biggest problem, in my opinion."

"Remus, are you sure you're okay with being here tonight? Why don't you take Tonks out or something?" Maddy felt guilty that Remus was sacrificing time with his friend on her account. "Or at least invite her over here. I'd leave you alone."

"Oh, no. Don't worry about it. We're only friends."

"Says who?"

"Me, I guess."

"Yeah, I didn't think that was Tonks' idea. What are _you_ afraid of, Remus?" Maddy asked the question, then felt she'd crossed the line. Remus' face became a mask.

"Nothing. We're only friends, nothing more."

"Sorry. I shouldn't have said that," Maddy said. "I always speak before I think, obviously."

"Nah. Forget about it." He looked back down at his novel for a few minutes. Then they heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway, and Sirius soon peered into the room.

"Wondered where you two were," he said, going over to a decanter and pouring himself some firewhiskey.

Maddy didn't answer, though Remus smiled at him. "We've been in here most of the evening, talking."

"Oh." He took a sip, then sank into a chair close by. Maddy could smell a trace of cologne on him, which conjured a vivid memory of the scene on the drawing room floor that she had envisioned some weeks back. Disgusted, she looked down at her book and went back to reading, though she decided it might be a good idea to head to bed soon. No point in hearing about him rave about his date.

Remus spoke again. "Have a nice time?"

Maddy concentrated heavily on the page she was reading, but heard Sirius say, "Oh, it was alright, I guess." She picked up a glass of wine and took a drink, pretending not to listen.

"Remus, what do you think about taking Tonks out one evening, and Madeleine and I will go with you? Maybe sometime this week." He said it casually, but Maddy almost spit her drink out, surprised as she was. She looked at Sirius in astonishment, and he observed her intently for the first time since their conversation about her visions. "I'm sure you'd like to get out of here for a while. Am I right?"

Maddy was shocked. "Well, of course. That would be great." His change of heart was completely illogical, although not unwelcome.

Sirius continued, looking at Remus. "And with the three of us with her, she should be perfectly safe. As long as no one lets Madeleine out of their sight." He gave her a little smile and took another sip.

Remus didn't know what to say. "Oh, yeah, well ... I'll ask Tonks tomorrow. Sounds good."

Once Remus talked to Tonks, and Maddy agreed as well, it was arranged that they would go the following Friday night to a pub for drinks, and then to a restaurant for a late dinner. Maddy was happier for the first time in several weeks, though she was afraid to make too much of Sirius' change of heart. He hadn't mentioned that anything had happened with Victoria, so she wasn't sure of his motives. But at least it would be a fun night out.

That week, he seemed to warm up to her more than usual. He hadn't been rude lately, though he had seemed to stay away from her as much as possible. But now suddenly he would appear when she was doing mundane things, such as the dishes, helping her to dry them, and he didn't bother using a wand. He began to make small talk about the Marauders back in his days at Hogwarts, and asked her how school had been when she was there. He tried to place her from his seventh year, but couldn't, as she had been a little first-year, and their paths hadn't crossed, apparently. Maddy made sure never to mention her visions of him, though she still had at least one every week, and when the time came for their evening out, she knew she wanted to look as beautiful as possible.

Friday evening arrived, and Maddy looked in the mirror for several minutes, satisfied that she had improved her appearance significantly. She decided she looked well enough, and went downstairs to meet Sirius and the others. Nobody was around in the drawing room just yet, so she draped her jacket over an arm and stood in her dress and heels reading a passage from a book she had taken from the shelf. She looked up to see Sirius standing there, having just walked in.

"You look very pretty," he commented mildly, though he smiled rather sensually.

"Thanks. You look handsome yourself," Maddy replied, smiling back. She was in an exceptionally good mood this evening.

"Remus went to get Tonks, so I decided you and I would apparate to our meeting place with them, if that's alright. Do you mind?"

"No, not at all. Are you ready?" Maddy asked, sliding her coat on. He helped her straighten it up.

"I'm ready. Come here." She was confused. Usually with side-along apparition, one person would merely take the other's arm. But Sirius stood there looking at her as if she should come to him.

"I'll confess, I haven't done side-along in quite some time. Mind if I hold you a bit closer?" he asked.

"Of course not," Maddy replied. "How close do you want me?" she asked, suddenly feeling flirtatious.

"I'll put an arm around you, alright?" he murmured. He held her to him. She breathed in his usual scent of cologne, and a moment later, they left.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So, Madeleine, how long did you work for Gringotts?" asked Sirius as he drained a pint. Remus and Tonks still hadn't arrived, but he kept looking around for them.

"Um, let me think. I took a year off when I was eighteen and traveled around for a while, so from the time I was nineteen until I was twenty-five. Six years."

"You didn't like it?"

"Oh, it was okay at first. Dealing with goblins requires rather a lot of patience, though, and my PR skills probably aren't that great." She grinned. "I just got tired of it after a while. That was about the time Septima Vector took a leave of absence, so I got the post at Hogwarts on a temporary basis." She took a sip of wine. "What did you do after you left school?"

"I never had much of a day job. Dumbledore had started the Order, and we all joined up. 'We' being me and several of my friends from school. I missed Hogwarts terribly. That was probably the happiest I've ever been ... well, no _probably_ about it." Just then he spied Remus, and waved him and Tonks over.

"Sorry we're late!" said Remus, taking his jacket off. "Traffic was horrible." He couldn't resist repeating a lame apparating joke, and Tonks rolled her eyes. "Be right back. Want something more?" he asked, pointing to their glasses.

"Yeah, sure," Sirius answered. He told Lupin what they were drinking, and the other man left to get it as Tonks sat across from Sirius and Maddy, chatting. After he returned, they all sat talking for quite some time. Sirius spoke to Maddy in particular at length, but mostly confined the conversation to things related to Hogwarts; anecdotes from her life as a student and teacher both. He mentioned nothing about visions, unsurprisingly. Tonks, who hadn't been an auror for very long, was asked many questions about her position in the Ministry. Finally, Sirius looked at his watch.

"Everyone ready to go to dinner?" He stood and stretched. The others did the same, and they went out the door. Instead of walking on to a restaurant, Sirius ambled back to their original apparition point. After checking carefully to see that they were all alone, he put his arm around Maddy once more and said to Remus, "The spot close to the Circus, right? See you in a moment." This time he seemed to hold her more closely, and they were off.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The two couples met up again in a different location, though Maddy couldn't tell where they were, though they were among a copse of trees. When they stepped out, she realized immediately. "Oh, we're in Bath! I wondered what you meant by 'Circus'."

"Yeah, there's a decent restaurant nearby, and it's a great place for a stroll if you'd like, later," Sirius answered. He still had a hand on her back, but finally let go once Remus and Tonks joined them. They walked a short distance down the street until they were at a small restaurant in Brock Street.

Remus looked slightly uneasy upon seeing it, and Maddy couldn't tell why at first. But they walked in and were seated immediately. "Wow, this is lovely," Tonks commented. After ordering, they sat and talked enthusiastically until their food arrived.

By the time they had finished dessert, Maddy was more than a little tipsy and very full. She excused herself and walked back to the loo. Once there, she took her wand out and freshened up her appearance. She hoped the evening wasn't over yet, though she felt a twinge of guilt wishing that Remus and Tonks might go off on their own for a while, leaving her with Sirius. Tonks came in as Maddy finished up, tucking the wand back into her bag, which then shrank back down to a smaller size once more. "Having a good time?" Maddy asked.

"Oh, yeah. I hope Remus is. I may have just messed things up."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know Remus doesn't have much. I offered to pay my share, but I feel as though I offended him. Then he and Sirius argued about the bill for a bit. Which is when I came in here."

"Oh dear. I hadn't thought of that. But he seems to be having a good time otherwise, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I just wish men wouldn't worry so much about things like that." They both walked back out where Sirius and Remus were still seated. Remus looked vaguely disgruntled, while Sirius appeared triumphant.

"Ready?" he asked, smiling appreciatively at Maddy.

The women both nodded, and everyone stood to go.

"Let's stroll around for a bit, alright?" Sirius said. He walked alongside Maddy with his hands in his pockets, and she instinctively moved closer to him. He was turning out to be a very attentive and interesting date, and she felt encouraged by his manner as they talked. Remus and Tonks followed at a short distance, and she caught snippets of their conversation occasionally. They stopped in front of the Crescent to admire the Georgian townhouses, and speculate about who lived inside. After some time, Sirius finally asked Maddy if she was ready to return. Truthfully, her feet were killing her now after wearing the heels for so long, but she was having such a good time she hadn't wanted to say anything.

She reluctantly agreed to go home, and they found themselves back at the Circus apparition point. Remus was planning on taking Tonks to her home, and they all said their goodbyes at that point. Then Sirius held Maddy close to him; more so than earlier. She could feel his warm breath on her neck, and impulsively put her arms around his waist. He hesitated a moment, looking keenly down at her, but in the next instant, they were gone. Soon they arrived in the dark little street close to Number Twelve, but he didn't move at first. Maddy looked up at him questioningly, and felt his lips touch hers softly. Then he grew bolder, clutching her to him as he kissed her hungrily. She kissed him back with as much passion, touching his face. "Oh God, you taste good," he said when he finally broke off. "Let's go inside."

They quickly walked the short distance to his house, holding hands, and stood waiting for it to show itself. Then a familiar voice called his name just as they heard the creak and groan of Number Twelve's appearance. Maddy turned slowly, as did Sirius, to see the blonde witch standing on the sidewalk staring at them both. It didn't escape her notice that the two were holding hands, and she raised an eyebrow.

"You must have apparated a moment ago; I heard the sound nearby," Victoria said, looking shrewdly at Maddy in her short dress and coat. "Out on a date? Didn't know you were seeing anyone else." Her expression was inscrutable, though her tone was slightly sardonic.

"Well, I was on a date, since you ask. Or _am_, I should say." His gaze didn't waver, and he raised his eyebrows at her, as if daring her to have a problem with it. "Why are you here? How did you know where I live?"

"Oh, I just thought I would drop by for a visit. I have a few ... contacts at the ministry and your address is on file there from years back. Figured I'd try it. Curiously, though," she commented wryly, "I can't seem to locate a Number Twelve." She looked up at the building, and Maddy remembered that his house must be invisible to her.

"Funny how that works. They must have made a mistake," Sirius retorted. "Now, I really do think you should go home."

The other woman didn't want to give up so easily. She looked at Maddy. "Don't get your hopes up with this one," she said caustically with a nod toward Sirius. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Is your name Maddy?"

Maddy was surprised that Sirius would have mentioned her, but he actually seemed alarmed by the woman's words. But before she could answer, he did. "And how do you know that?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm sure I heard you mention her once," Victoria replied, shrugging. "Well, guess I'll be going, Sirius. Call me sometime."

She sauntered away as they both watched. Maddy looked questioningly at Sirius, who was suddenly glowering. "Let's go in," he said shortly.

Once inside, he walked up the stairs to the drawing room. Maddy had a fleeting memory involving the floor in there, and the thought occurred to her that it could happen this evening. If she wanted it. But now Sirius was pacing angrily. "I never told her about you."

"Oh," she replied, unsure how to take this.

"You don't understand. Someone has told her about you. _I _would never do that. It's not exactly common knowledge that you're here. In any case, even if I had mentioned you to her, I would use your full name. I prefer to call you Madeleine. So it wasn't me."

"Oh, I believe you," Maddy answered. "So it may have been someone with connections to Voldemort or my brother? Do you think _she_ - ?" She didn't finish the sentence.

He gritted his teeth. "I wish I knew the answer to _that_ question."

"Alright, Sirius, let's forget about it for now. Okay?" Maddy was more concerned about the state of her evening with him than some stupid witch, and hoped it wasn't ruined now. "I've had a wonderful time with you tonight."

Sirius nodded. "So have I. Thanks for going with me." But unfortunately the mood seemed to have been ruined by Victoria's appearance, and he made no further move to kiss her. "I'm sorry about all that, Madeleine."

"Don't worry about it." She walked over to him and kissed him once on the lips, softly. "Goodnight." She left Sirius in the drawing room and took her heels off, walking up the stairs to his old room in her stockinged feet. Once there, she cursed the circumstances violently. Stupid effing witch. What a frigging tart. Was that his normal type of date? The bitch had to go and ruin her night with him.

The thought of getting inside his dream again occurred to her. Perhaps this time she could make something a bit more interesting happen this time. She felt a modicum of guilt, but brushed it off. This would be one memorable dream, if she had anything to say about it. She slid under the covers and put the light out, lying in darkness and planning what she wanted to do.


	9. Reliving the Past

Maddy slid herself into Sirius' mind with a bit more ease this time, now knowing what to expect from the experience. She wandered through the familiar mist until it slowly lifted, and then she saw him once more in Diagon Alley, walking around as if he had nowhere in particular to go. She didn't bother merely observing, but walked up to him boldly. _ I'm here_, she announced without opening her mouth. He heard her regardless, and turned to look at her. He was naked once more, and she couldn't help laughing this time, though she admired the sinewy form and strength of his body.

"What is it with you being naked in this place? Are you an exhibitionist?" she teased him.

"I'll have you know that I wind up here like this without consent all the time," he answered sardonically. "I wish I knew why." He took in her appearance, noting with appreciation her own barely clad body. She was dressed much more provocatively this time, by her own choice. "I'm glad to see you," he said softly. "I've missed you around here."

"Well, at least _I_ wore something," Maddy said, smiling and moving closer to him. "Don't get me wrong, though. I certainly enjoy seeing you like that."

"Same here." She looked down, and noticed her clothing was gone. He pulled her close to him, and held her tightly, brushing his lips against her neck sensuously.

"Why don't you ever do this when we're awake?" she whispered, gasping at the sensation.

He broke off, looking around. Their surroundings had changed, and they were standing, as they held each other close, at the border of a forest. Sirius saw a worn path, and pointed to it.

"Do you want to go down that way? Let's walk."

Now it was her turn to hesitate. "I'm perfectly alright here."

"Are you afraid, Madeleine?"

She looked toward the lake once more. _Yes_, she thought, but didn't utter the words out loud. Sirius heard her anyway.

He smiled at her. "I won't let anything happen to you. Come with me." He turned in that direction, gently taking her hand, and walked soundlessly through the brush. Her heart pounded in her chest now; she could practically hear the heavy thump out loud. They had been walking for ages, it seemed. The feeling of dread escalated, and just as she was about to dig in her heels and refuse to continue, he noticed something on the ground.

"Look, it's a wand," he said with interest.

Maddy looked away, unprepared for this. "I need to go, Sirius. _Now_."

"Yours?" he asked, ignoring her. He held it out to her. She didn't want to look at it, but nodded.

"Let's go," he said, keeping the wand in one hand and taking hers in the other. She noticed they were both still naked, though the gentle breeze that brushed their skin didn't affect them. Sirius began to walk toward the lake again. His body lay beside it. She could see his face, bloody and bruised, and the tears rose to the surface.

"Shhh. There I am." He seemed intrigued at seeing himself lying prostrate on the shore. "The dementors will be there in a few minutes. Wait with me."

"No! Don't watch! This is wrong." She rose to leave, but he yanked her down again.

"Wait. Someone's there, see? I've never been able to figure out who it is. I keep thinking if I come back, I'll see him more clearly. I think it's Harry." He smiled at the thought of his godson, come to save him. Maddy tried to look away, but morbid curiosity made her watch the figure in the black robes with Sirius beside the lake. She began to feel dizzy.

"It's not Harry, Sirius," she moaned. But he wasn't paying attention to her, and silently pointed to the dementors who were now swirling around overhead. They were moving in for the kill, and the figure in black was lying over Sirius, as if to protect him. Meanwhile, the Sirius beside her laughed in amazement, feeling much more detached from the situation than she did. "Well, if it's not Harry, who else could it be? Not a dementor, certainly."

As the dementors relentlessly attacked them, she saw her other self scream in terror, though not letting go of Sirius in her attempt to shelter him. Maddy grabbed Sirius' arm, pulling desperately on it. "Please, let's go!" Suddenly she smelled rotting flesh, and then

a dementor was in her own face, angrily trying to extract her memories. She screamed Sirius' name, but he only watched the episode, mildly interested, as if he were watching a muggle television show. "Make it go!!" she shrieked, trying to break free of the hold it had on her. The dementor wouldn't budge though, and she shook her head wildly to rid it from invading her mind. Then she managed one thought clearly: _Get me out of here! _And her spirit finally complied, moving away from the lake and shooting out of Sirius' dream and then his room, and the next thing she knew she was _shoved_ back into her body, gasping for air. Soon a face was in front of hers. Remus shook her wildly.

"Maddy! Wake up!" he said urgently. "Jesus, you're cold. Let's cover you up."

She moaned and tried to focus, but the entire room was blurry and indistinct. She felt a blanket being pulled over her, and then there were two faces in her line of vision. Sirius was standing next to Remus.

"What happened? I heard screaming. It woke me up." He was out of breath.

"Maddy," Remus answered distractedly. "She's absolutely freezing. Put a fire on."

Sirius spied Maddy's wand beside the bed, and picked it up, muttering a spell. Soon there was a blazing fire going, though Maddy was still shivering uncontrollably. Sirius sank down on the edge of the bed next to her, looking at her with concern. She could feel him touching her hair, gently caressing it, and it felt good.

Remus' voice came from far off. "Sirius, do you really think that's wise?" But then she felt the warmth of another person very close to her. An arm snaked around her waist as someone lay beside her, and she was drawn very close to him. She vaguely noted the familiar scent, and finally relaxed, feeling the heat of his body warming her. She took his hand in front of her waist and held it close, then drifted off to sleep.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Sirius, I don't think you should have done that." Remus looked disapprovingly at his friend later that morning.

"Why not? She was freezing."

"It was inappropriate."

"She seemed to be comforted by it."

"God, Sirius, don't play with her emotions. I think she's - "

"What?"

"Nothing," Remus muttered.

"You think she's ...?" Sirius prompted.

Remus sighed. "She ... is enamored of you, I believe."

Sirius stared at him. "Of course she isn't. Did she say that?" he asked curiously.

"Not in so many words. But I can tell you she cares very much for you. Do _not_ lead her on." Then Remus changed the subject. "I need to contact Albus. He'll want to know about this."

"Why Albus?"

"He wanted me to let him know if she had any ... setbacks."

"Remus, what exactly happened to her last year?"

Remus stared at Sirius, thinking how much he would love to tell him the whole story. But it wasn't for him to tell. Albus would have to do something about the two of them. "Why not ask Maddy?" he finally said.

"Alright, when she's better, I will."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

A few hours later, Albus stood in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place listening to Remus and Sirius describe what had happened.

"I take it she's still asleep?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, I checked about thirty minutes ago," Sirius replied. "Sleeping hard."

Albus noticed an unspoken tension between the two of them. Remus had an expression of disapproval on his face, though Sirius seemed oblivious, or perhaps merely ignored it.

"I'll go up myself and check on her," Dumbledore said. "No need to go with me." He went to the stairs, pulling a wand out of his robes. It was the perfect time to obtain information. Sirius saw the motion.

"What's the wand for?" he wanted to know.

"I'm going to attempt a bit of legilimency. It will help," the man answered.

He arrived at Maddy's room and opened the door. The room was extremely hot now, and Albus felt her skin, noticing it was very warm and dry. He put the fire out, and sat next to her on the bed.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

An hour or so later, her eyes flickered open, and she looked around blearily. The last thing she had remembered was Sirius lying next to her, holding her. He was gone now. In the room with her now was a much older wizard with bright blue eyes, gazing at her inquisitively.

"Are you well enough to talk?" he asked. He took his wand and placed a _muffliato_ charm in the direction of the door, then turned back to her. "Because we have quite a lot to talk about."

Maddy sat up slowly. "When did you come?"

"A few hours ago. I will offer full disclosure first," he said, not bothering with pleasantries anymore. "I performed some legilimency on you. You've been very busy," he said with a tinge of sarcasm.

"Busy?" Maddy asked, wondering nervously exactly how much he knew.

"Yes," Albus replied. "First of all, and this is strictly between you and me, _stop _getting into Sirius' mind while he's sleeping."

"Isn't that what you just did?" Maddy asked, though his piercing gaze was making her feel suddenly guilty.

"And I just told you so. I had a very good reason for what _I _did. Now, you know perfectly well how unfair that is to him. How do you imagine he'll react if he ever finds out? Not only that, but I don't believe you understand exactly how dangerous that sort of thing is. For you. Did you know that you are leaving your own body open to being invaded by someone who may have malicious intent?"

"Well, this is Grimmauld Place, for crying out loud. Who's going to do that here?"

"I'm not talking about Sirius or Remus. I'm talking about souls that roam around anywhere, looking for someone to attach themselves to. You are opening yourself up to that sort of invasion, and if it happened, it would be the end of you. Not to mention that no one else would ever know you weren't really yourself. Your soul would eventually become very weak and fade away. Now, have I made myself clear?"

She nodded slowly. She hadn't really considered that aspect of it.

"Madeleine, I know how much you care about Sirius. You've loved him for a long time. He needs to know everything. But we'll talk about that in a moment. What I want to say is this: if you are meant to be with him, no amount of influencing his dreams is going to help anything. He needs to come to you on his own. I love you, Madeleine. You're like a daughter to me. So consider this some fatherly advice. Alright?" He touched her cheek gently.

"Now. If you're going to insist on leaving this place once in a while, Sirius or Remus should accompany you. I've already heard about this Victoria character, and I'm concerned."

"What do you mean?" Maddy asked weakly. She felt guilty once more, though now about her clandestine morning escape.

"You know. Running along the ocean. I saw it. I know Voldemort's cohorts probably wouldn't try to get at you that way, but you still need company in the form of another wizard, especially that the other side are boldly informing us they know your whereabouts. I'll talk to Sirius and Remus about her and then see what I can find out from there."

"Okay," she said, feeling rather meek in front of him.

Dumbledore looked thoughtfully at her, but didn't pursue that topic any further. "Now. I want Sirius to come in here. It's past time for him to know the truth about that night. I am convinced there will be no doubt in his mind how much you care about him once he hears. Then I think you should step aside and let him make up his mind where he wants to go, so to speak, afterward." Then he paused as he stood at the door. "I don't want you to get hurt, Madeleine. It is wrong to put too much faith in what you've _seen_, you understand?"

Maddy nodded, feeling immensely tired once more.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Madeleine, I want you to start at the beginning, when you were a child."

"Oh. Well, I think I've told Sirius all that stuff already." She blushed, recalling that conversation. Sirius looked inquisitively at her, but sat patiently.

Dumbledore looked pleased. "Good! Alright then, we shall move forward to the year Sirius had escaped from Azkaban. Wait, did you tell him about Azkaban?"

"Yes."

"Even better. So, Sirius, you escaped. Maddy was teaching at Hogwarts that year. Your third year there, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Proceed, Madeleine."

"Well, uh, you'll know that I got to be friends with Remus that year. He mentioned to me, I think it was just after you had broken into the castle the first time -" Here Sirius stole a guilty look at Dumbledore, but the older wizard remained impassive. "-and Remus and I were outside patrolling the grounds. We got to talking, and he mentioned that you and he had been friends while growing up. Of course, I'd had all those visions of you for years, and had no answers for them. I suppose I had thought he might tell me something meaningful that would solve everything. So I told him many of the same things I've mentioned to you. But I'd just had this one interesting dream which didn't make any sense, and I told him about it as well, thinking he would get a laugh out of it, if nothing else."

"What was it?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing coherent at the time. It was some man turning into a rat, you turning into a dog, and Remus transforming into a werewolf, outside under the full moon. All at the same time. Remus didn't think it was amusing at all, though, and he wouldn't speak to me for ages after that. Even though I already knew about him being a werewolf. But I thought the first man looked familiar. So a bit later that year I went back and read several accounts of the murders again, and noticed Pettigrew's picture in the _Prophet_. I realized _he_ was the man who became the rat. I went back to Remus, once he was speaking to me again, and said I'd figured out who that was. He clammed up once more, naturally. I had no idea why. But I suppose I thought enough about it, and finally guessed on my own that you might be animagi. I eventually got him to confirm it. I kept thinking that you would show up again. And actually I thought you might be let go. Well, someday, anyway."

"Let go?"

"Found innocent. Only because I'd kept seeing you as you are now, y'know, with a family, and happy and all; fully recovered. All the years you were in Azkaban, I assumed the visions were just crap and had no meaning. Then suddenly you had escaped, and I wondered if that might change everything. I convinced Remus to let me tell Albus what I'd seen. And every full moon I would go for a walk around the grounds, just in case, though I felt stupid doing it. I mean, Remus was taking that wolfsbane potion, and he obviously wasn't going to turn into a werewolf as long as he did that.

"Anyway, I was set on by dementors a couple of times, though I got rid of them quickly enough using my wand. I thought that might mean you were close by. But nothing ever happened. Then it was almost the end of the school year. I'd been preparing for exams, and was bored. I remembered it was the night of the full moon, and was getting close to dark. So I grabbed my wand and decided to go for a walk."

She continued to speak, keeping her manner carefully detached. On the night in question, she had been walking around the grounds, and was close to the greenhouses.

_The evening light was fading very quickly, but Maddy only just made out the shadow of a large dog several meters away, running across the lawn. It took her a minute to realize what she was seeing, but suddenly it struck her that it was Sirius, and she took off after him. She must have gone the wrong way, because she heard voices calling out frantically, and then nothing more. She went to where she thought they had come from, but there was only the Whomping Willow, still quivering from a recent attack. Perhaps a bird had landed in it; she couldn't tell. Bewildered, she kept running on toward the edge of the forest, never seeing anyone. It was as if they had vanished into thin air. She wouldn't give up, however, convinced that she was meant to run into Sirius this night, and possibly Pettigrew, whom she was now convinced was still alive. Maddy gripped her wand tightly and continued her search along the border of the woods. _

_She finally gave up and made her way down to the lake, to where she had always been drawn. She sat waiting for any sort of sign, watching the ripples on the shoreline over and over again. Then, in the distance, she heard a crash, as if something hurtled through the brush. In the silvery moonlight, she saw a man emerge from the woods, staggering like someone drunk. He finally collapsed on the edge of the shoreline. The water was so close, it almost touched him as it lapped the shore, but not quite. She thought it was Sirius. As this thought occurred to her, the lake water became dark. Where before, the moon had cast a bright white glow upon it, now it was obscured, until it was almost black. Maddy looked up, and saw that, under the light of the moon, a crowd of dementors was circling. Sirius was so far away, she had no idea how to get to him in time. The dementors were still high in the sky when she saw a dark figure approaching him. It appeared to be one of them. Shrouded in flowing black robes, the figure advanced until it was right on top of him, literally. She realized with horror that he was receiving a kiss from a dementor, already. Maddy had heard long ago of his sentencing, but actually seeing it with her own eyes was terrifying. Meanwhile, the other dementors wanted their own fill of him, and circled ever lower, until they took turns passing over the two, as if they each took a piece of his soul._

_Without waiting to see more, she scrambled off the bank she had been sitting on, and looked desperately to find a path to reach him. But the brush was thick everywhere, and getting in the water was her only option. Dressed as she was, though, in her cloak, swimming to him would take several minutes in the chilly water, and she didn't have that kind of time. Then, cursing herself for being so slow, she suddenly thought of a solution: a patronus. She whipped her wand out of her robes, but someone had already thought of the idea. A silvery stag pranced on air over to the man and the determined dementor hovering over him, its white-hot light driving the others away. Maddy felt grateful for the unknown person's quick thinking. Now, though, her priority was to get to Sirius and see how he was doing. _

_Maddy tucked her wand into her robes for the time being, and speeded up the path she had carved out herself from her many trips to this spot over the past three years. Once back in an area where it was easier to get to Sirius, she entered the thicket once more, frantically moving aside branches as she went. After several minutes of this, she reached the spot where she was sure she had seen him. But no one was there. What had happened? Looking up into the sky, the moon was once again unobscured and shining brightly. She hurried back through the trees and up to the castle._

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

_Once back inside, Maddy went straight to Dumbledore's office. Reciting the correct password, she bounded up the stairs, knocking on the heavy oak door. When nobody answered, she knocked louder, but then heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Albus was approaching wearily. _

"_Albus! Sirius is here at Hogwarts. Dementors got to him, but I can't find him now."_

"_I know, Maddy," he replied soberly. "I've spoken to Harry and his friends. They've gone back to try and help him, using Hermione's time-turner."_

"_Help him? How?"_

"_Sirius had been injured earlier this evening, Harry said. They left from the hospital wing, but should return there shortly, if they're not back already." _

_Maddy didn't ask further questions, but left Dumbledore and walked quickly to the infirmary. When she got there, however, Severus had recently arrived, and he was not alone. Two stretchers were floating in the air, waiting to be attended to. When Maddy opened the huge door, she could see Harry and Hermione already sitting on a bed, upset and being harangued by Snape as Madame Pomfrey carefully checked the two unconscious people. Snape turned to look at her, and his face went even whiter than its usual pale shade. He stood in slack-jawed astonishment as Maddy looked down on one of the stretcher occupants. It was Sirius. _

"_What happened?" she asked frantically, looking back and forth from Pomfrey to Snape. _

_Snape considered his words carefully, still goggling Maddy. "Black received the dementor's kiss. He's gone." Maddy sank down next to Sirius, who lay there, silent and unmoving, with his eyes tightly shut._

_She began to cry. "No! There was a patronus! The dementors were driven away!"_

Suddenly, in the present, Sirius interrupted. "That doesn't make sense! I'm still here, after all!" He seemed almost angry, but Maddy thought there was a trace of fright behind his words.

Dumbledore spoke. "Sirius, please let Madeleine finish. You'll understand soon enough."

Maddy continued to speak, though she looked sympathetically at Sirius. "I was in shock, myself." Then she continued her story.

_Snape seemed at a loss for words, in spite of his hatred for Black. "It was too late." They heard a sniffle, and looked to see Hermione crying. _

"_Professor O'Hannon, we thought we saved him. We saw Peter Pettigrew! He was there, but changed into a rat and ran off before we could get him. Sirius is innocent ... he didn't kill anyone! It was Pettigrew! But then Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf. He's out there somewhere."_

_Just then, the door opened once more, and Dumbledore walked in. Pomfrey spoke up for the first time, tentatively, with a nervous look at Maddy. "Headmaster, could you come over here?" He walked over to where she stood with the other patient._

_Maddy wanted to plead with him to let her do something to help Sirius. He couldn't be dead. "He's supposed to live," she said woodenly, rubbing her eyes. "Severus, help me. Sirius can't die. It's not time. He deserves to live."_

_Severus' eyes narrowed at her, and he was about to respond, but Dumbledore spoke instead. With a sober look at Maddy, he said slowly, "Do you think you can help him?" She looked back at him in confusion, but recalled that Harry and Hermione had just used a time-turner. _

"_Yeah. I can go back. I know where he was at the lake. I'll go there, and drive the dementors off, or at least keep them at bay until Harry can get there. Albus, he's innocent, though. They saw Pettigrew, too, and it's like I told you! He can turn himself into a rat. He never died. He's been hiding all this time."_

_Snape sighed noisily. "Headmaster, you know that this rat is merely some invention of P -"_

_Dumbledore held up a hand and spoke quietly. "Severus. I'd like for you to get Pettigrew. Go with Madeleine, please. I don't want her to be alone." He gave Snape a darkly significant look. "Harry, tell Professor Snape where you saw him last, and what time you think it was."_

_Snape opened his mouth, furious, to argue once more, but Dumbledore silenced him. "If they say it is true, then you need not question it, Severus. Bring him back, please." _

_Snape looked beyond displeased at being given this job, but said nothing further. Dumbledore removed an ornate device from around his neck and handed it to Maddy. "Use this one and go back a few turns." He looked down at Sirius and back to her, observing her tenderly. Meanwhile, Snape went over to Harry, glaring malevolently as the boy told him where to find Pettigrew and when he had transformed._

"_C'mon, Severus," Maddy said, drying her eyes once more. He reluctantly approached her, and she slid the chain around his neck. _

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"_Why do you care so much about Black?" Snape asked as they hurried out of the castle. _

"_I've _seen_ him any number of times, and I just ... know it's not his time to die," Maddy answered vaguely. She was busy concentrating on exactly where she had seen him at the lake. It wasn't long before Snape would be hiding out of sight waiting on Pettigrew's appearance. A thought occurred to her, though, and suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. She stopped cold._

"_Who was the other person, Severus?" she asked carefully._

_Snape stopped and observed her for a moment before he answered. "I suppose you already know the answer to that, Maddy. If I knew of another way around this, believe me, I would keep you far away from him." He said nothing more._

_She didn't want to know the fate of the person lying on the stretcher, whom she hadn't seen, but she couldn't help asking_ something_. "Am I going to fail, Sev?"_

_His lips tightened at the nickname. "I told you never to call me that. But to answer your question, we can't know that. Perhaps not. You're supposed to be the one with the sight. Why ask me?" Then he thought of something else. "What exactly have you seen?"_

"_Sirius. Healthy, happy, possibly married with children someday. So many times I've lost count. It's all I've ever seen. I don't know why."_

_They reached a place where they would have to part. Severus looked around anxiously in the darkness for any signs of life, but saw none thus far. "I wish you well, Maddy, and, purely for your sake, I hope this works out. I couldn't care less about _him_." Then, uncharacteristically, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Good luck," he murmured. Then he turned on his heel and walked across the field._

_She began to walk off, but remembered she should offer the same to him. "Severus. Thank you. Good luck to you, too." He paused slightly, but continued walking and didn't look back._

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

_Maddy looked after him for a moment, then made her way to the place where she had seen Sirius coming out of the woods. Confident that she was in the right spot, she sighed and entered the thick grove. She knew she was going in the right direction, and before long, she saw through the trees the glittery water of the lake accented by moonlight. Suddenly there was a thrashing noise in the vicinity, and Maddy stopped in her tracks. She looked in that direction just when Sirius emerged from a spot close by in the woods and collapsed by the lake. She began to walk rapidly once more, trying to reach him before the dementors did. Pushing branches out of her way, she was growing close to the shore, when one limb flew back and hit her hard in the face, and the wand fell out of her hand. She cursed loudly, and looked frantically at her feet, trying to kneel down and take it back. Though the moon was bright, she was still in relative darkness in the forest, and the damp floor couldn't be seen. Maddy grew more desperate, several times picking up what she thought was the wand, but then she would realize in a panic that it was only a stick. _

_Then the moon over the lake seemed to dim slightly, and she knew without looking up that there was no more time. A thought occurred to her. _I'm going to die here_. Then, saying a silent prayer for luck, she pushed hard against the remaining brush, and emerged on the pebbles that made up the shoreline. Stumbling over to Sirius with her black cloak billowing around her in the increasing wind, she lay on top of him. He was barely conscious, though his eyes were closed. He moaned and spoke incoherently, and she kissed him on the mouth gently. "It's alright. Harry will be here soon," she said, then repeated it over and over again. She kissed his forehead tenderly as if he were a child, and his eyes flickered open, though they weren't able to focus. "It's alright," she repeated softly. "They won't hurt you. I won't let them." _

_The wind picked up even more, and she inched up until his face was buried in her chest, the only way she thought would protect and save him. Dementors were attacking them in full force now, though the shield she provided kept him from bearing the brunt of it. Instead, they repeatedly swooped past Maddy, drawing bits of happy memories as they went, until nothing was left. Finally, unable to bear the pain any longer, she lost consciousness, just as a glowing white stag came galloping across the lake toward them. _

Maddy paused, thinking she had probably said more than enough. Sirius was sitting there, looking at her as if he didn't know what to think. Finally, he spoke, his voice uneven. "You were prepared to die?" He stared at her in shock. "You could easily have lost your own soul. You would risk that for me? Someone you didn't know."

"I didn't have a chance to contemplate it by that point. I just kept telling myself that Harry would come soon. Finally he did. By then, I _couldn't_ think anymore." Her voice sounded flat now.

"What happened to you after that?" he asked, frowning with concern.

"Next thing I knew, I was lying in a bed in St. Mungo's. It was three weeks later, they told me." Maddy didn't elaborate, and stated it without emotion. She felt exhausted even thinking about that night.

"Dear _Merlin_, Madeleine-" Sirius started, then broke off. Finally he found his voice. "I cannot comprehend why you would ... why would you do that for me?"

"Not too hard to figure out, I should think," she answered. "I just thought you deserved a chance to live and be ... happy. I'd seen you alive, and older. Maybe I was meant to do that ... it could've been the purpose of _seeing_ you all those times. And it was worth it. I mean, we're both still here. Nobody died, nor lost their soul after all."

He was silent, though he wouldn't take his eyes off her. Finally, he said, "How long did it take you to recover?"

Albus answered for her. "I think by Christmas and Hogmanay you were much improved, weren't you?"

She nodded silently. The thought of her painful rehabilitation still made her feel weak. Sirius kept watching her closely. Then he said, "Madeleine, why don't you rest a bit longer? I'd like to speak to Albus for a moment, alright?" He touched her cheek lightly, then motioned for the elder wizard to follow him out of the room. "I'll be back soon," he added to her. Maddy still felt exhausted, and took the opportunity to roll over on her side and close her eyes for a few minutes. It wasn't long before she fell into sleep once more, this time a completely dreamless one. She didn't notice Sirius' return to the bedroom, nor how he watched her for a long time as she slept.


	10. Growing Closer

Sirius sat in a chair in his old bedroom, watching the sleeping woman in the bed. Several thoughts presented themselves to him, not the least of which was the irony of winding up back in this house once more. He rose at one point and wandered over to the wall where the pasted muggle magazine pictures were still attached, and snorted. That little stunt had gotten him in some hot water with his mother way back when, and she had promptly marched Kreacher in there to get it off. As Sirius was forced to watch, the smarmy house elf muttered the whole time how Regulus was so much better, minded his parents, and didn't lust after silly muggle girls in bikinis. But no matter how hard Kreacher had tried, nor the amount of elf magic he applied to them, he hadn't been able to remove the pictures from the wall, to the boy's amusement. The same went for the photograph of Sirius and his mates, taken at Hogwarts. He now looked fondly at it for some time. He had forgotten that it was there. Looking around the room, in fact, Sirius realized that this was the first good look he had gotten in several years. He had all but ignored it when he came back to Grimmauld Place to get it ready for the Order. But now he recalled what a refuge the room had been whilst growing up, keeping him safe from his mother's wrath on several occasions.

Reclining once more in the chair, Sirius continued to ponder Madeleine and her reasons for saving him. The thought that someone in the world had cared enough to risk her life for him was rather overwhelming. She shifted in the bed, and he looked sharply over at her, making sure she was alright. Then, as she settled back into a deep sleep once more, he turned his gaze away and thought more about her. He realized that she must have many secrets, perhaps still hidden in her mind, from all those visions. Had she ever seen his death, or her own? What would make her _see_ only him? Was it really the dreadful ceremony their mothers had made them take part in as children? Was he actually destined to be her husband someday? Well, he thought drily, he could certainly do worse. As far as looks went, she was far better than Victoria had been. Not only that, but she had a clever sense of humor and was always friendly to him, even when he had been rude to her at first. He felt a stab of guilt at that. Dumbledore had known what he was doing, after all, making him Maddy's protector, of sorts. Not for the first time, Sirius was thankful that Grimmauld Place was serving a few useful purposes in thwarting Voldemort's allies. He did wonder, however, why on earth she would be so important to the dark wizard. Perhaps it was only her stupid brother who cared. Since he had obviously mentioned her to Voldemort already, he probably felt he had to follow through and bring her to him or risk being punished. This made him think of Regulus, who had been just as foolish. He would never admit it to anyone, but the image of his brother brought a pang of sadness with it.

Now Sirius' thoughts turned to Victoria for the first time since the previous night. He now had no doubt that she wasn't remotely interested in him, but had used him to try and get information about Madeleine. She had been bold as brass walking up to him in the Cauldron one evening, just before Maddy had come to stay, and had pursued him doggedly ever since, asking many questions that had seemed strange at the time. He had exchanged some passionate kisses with her, but was now extremely thankful he hadn't taken her to bed, even though he had thought about it initially. But then his dreams began to be filled with images of his new house guest, and, despite his irritation at being kept here, he hadn't been able to get her out of his head. Even the bombshell Madeleine had dropped suggesting that they might be married someday hadn't succeeded in ridding her from his dreams. Now, as he looked at her sleeping figure, he reconciled it with the sweetly provocative woman whom he saw when he was asleep. And the tattoo thing was interesting, certainly. He couldn't remember having actually seen one on her body, but it was very clear in his dream when she had been naked. Exactly the same one he had on his chest. He peered under his shirt and glanced down at it. The ink had faded over the years. Where once it had been black as night, it was now a bluish color and the miniscule words that were meant to invoke protection could no longer be distinguished. He supposed it had worked, in a way. Someone had given quite a bit to protect him, he thought, looking once more at Madeleine's sleeping form.

He recalled the events of that evening; chasing after Pettigrew, the hour in the Shrieking Shack, being injured by Remus, and finally collapsing down by the lake. Though he had been mostly unconscious, he remembered a face looking over him. _Harry will be here soon_, she had whispered, and then she kissed him softly, drawing him to her chest protectively as she was attacked instead of him. _Now what?_ he thought to himself. Suddenly another memory from the previous night came to him, where he was locked in an embrace in the alleyway with Madeleine and had his arms tangled around her body, kissing her wildly. Nice as the dreams were in which they kissed, they couldn't compare to the rough beautiful reality of _that_. The thought occurred to him that he would love to repeat that episode, and his groin tightened reflexively as he remembered just how excited he had been. If Victoria hadn't come along, there was a good chance he would have been spending the night in his old bedroom with her.

As he continued to process these thoughts, the thing that he found a bit frightening was how accurate her predictions had been. She had known without being told that he was an animagus, purely from _seeing_ him that way. So did that mean he had no choice but to marry her at some point and have children? He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Rebel that he had always been, the thought of something like that being out of his control chafed a bit, especially after his years in Azkaban. He'd be damned if he would be forced into a marriage with _anyone_. But so far, Madeleine didn't seem to have much to say about it. Maybe she didn't want to be married either, for all he knew. He stood and stretched, deciding to put aside that particular subject for now. He walked over to the bed, looking down at her, and brushed her hair gently with his hand. Then he left the room.

Striding down the stairs, Sirius suddenly remembered his mother's snoring portrait, and crept past it in silence before continuing down to the basement. He looked around for Remus, but the other man was nowhere nearby. He poured some ale and sat at the table, sipping it as he began to daydream. He pictured Madeleine's naked body pressed against his own, and a sudden image of him being on top of her on the kitchen table thrusting repeatedly into her aroused him to no end. He hadn't made love with anyone in a very long time, and since her arrival it seemed to be all he could think about. In fact, the more he thought about it, he grew increasingly excited. He would begin by placing soft kisses on her neck, then moving down languidly until he had her legs apart. She would squirm with pleasure as he flicked his tongue over her mound, and he imagined her moaning his name repeatedly.

"Whatcha thinking about, Sirius?" a voice called from the other end of the room. Sirius looked up to see Remus standing in the doorway, holding a large coffee mug. "You appear to be in deep thought."

Flushing with embarrassment, Sirius spoke. "Not really. Just having something to drink."

Remus walked into the kitchen and pulled out a chair, sitting down. "So, is everything cleared up?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Sirius replied noncommitally. "So, Mooney, how much did you know?"

"A fair amount, I'd say," answered Remus. "Wasn't my story to tell, though. And," he added, looking pointedly at the other man, "you hadn't exactly been in much contact with me from that time until the Order re-formed for me to say much about it."

Sirius looked abashed, but continued. "But it's been over a year. Why didn't anyone say _something_?" He was suddenly indignant.

Remus studied him thoughtfully. "Well ... you never asked too many questions, I believe. Were you not the least bit curious? I thought Albus had spoken to you about some of it."

Sirius thought back to that time, and recalled Albus' vague words the morning after. _We have many things to talk about, Sirius, once you've recovered. _But Sirius had wasted no time in leaving Hogwarts and Britain altogether. He assumed Albus had been instrumental in capturing Pettigrew, and that Harry was his savior that night. Despite his affection for his godson, though, he had explained to him that he desperately needed to get away, just for a little while. Once Fudge had been convinced of his innocence and his name cleared, he had procured another wand and left England altogether to travel around Europe, though he had kept in contact with Harry and returned when it was obvious the boy was in serious trouble, settling in London. Now he remembered something else. _Snape_, he thought with disgust. He still couldn't believe he had a debt to _that_ man. As he contemplated this disturbing notion, a delicate cough interrupted his thoughts.

"Sirius? Are you paying attention?" Remus asked, more amused than anything.

"What? Oh, yeah, Mooney. Just thinking about all that stuff. So," he continued, "did you ever ... date Madeleine?"

Remus looked surprised. "Oh. No, we were only friends. Didn't I tell you that already?"

"Oh. Yeah, I suppose. What about _Snivellus_?" He couldn't help sneering when he said the name.

"What about him?" Remus looked confused.

"Did Madeleine ever ... go out with him?"

"Oh! No, I don't believe so, though he was actually nice to her at times. Rather uncharacteristically, I'll add." Remus and Sirius were both silent for a moment as they considered Snape. "Well, did you have a nice time with her last night? And you shouldn't have paid, by the way," Remus said reprovingly.

Sirius shrugged unapologetically. "I didn't mind. And yes, I did have a good time. Until Victoria showed up, at least. She bloody near ruined everything. She can't be a death eater, though. Not exactly Miss Stealth, is she?"

"I guess you'd have noticed if she had the mark," Remus commented. "Sirius, what changed your mind about Maddy?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean. You couldn't seem to stand the sight of her at first, but now you've changed your tune significantly."

"What's wrong with that?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing, as long as you don't change it back again on a whim."

"I don't plan to. Mooney, do you really think I'm like that?"

Remus shrugged. "I don't suppose. I certainly hope not, anyway."

"But to answer your question, I suppose the place started mattering less to me, and the person more. Make sense?"

Remus looked bemused. "Not really. Say it in English now?"

"I'm very attracted to her. She's a good person, and I ... like her. She's a good kisser, as well," he couldn't resist throwing out. Then Sirius changed the subject. "That time of the month again?" he asked, nodding toward Remus' drink.

"Yes. God, this stuff is horrible."

"Snape still making it for you?" Sirius asked with distaste, unable to help himself. Remus nodded, just as the sound of screaming and shrieking upstairs made them both jump out of their chairs. Remus put down his drink, and they ran up the stairs, where Mrs. Black's portrait was in full force. Maddy was frantically trying to shut the curtains, which had flown open when the portrait woke up.

"Sorry!" she moaned in frustration. Her hair was mussed up and she blinked several times sleepily as she yanked on the drapes. Sirius pulled them closed at once and muttered a nasty comment directed at his mother, then turned to Maddy.

"Let's go into the drawing room," he said in a low voice. Once in there, they all sat down.

"Well, Sleeping Beauty. Finally awoken, have you?" He smiled at her wickedly.

"I don't know about the 'beauty' part, but 'sleeping' is dead-on. I can't _believe_ I slept for so long." She ran a hand through her hair.

"Are you hungry?" Sirius asked. "It's almost time for supper."

"Oh. Yeah, I could eat something," Maddy answered. "I'll go downstairs in a few minutes."

Remus watched Sirius as he and Maddy continued to speak animatedly, noting the change in his manner since her arrival a month earlier. Now Sirius was all kindly solicitude and flirtation, he thought, and he wondered exactly what he had missed the previous night between the two of them. Suddenly he stood at a break in the conversation.

"Well, I really need to finish off the wolfsbane, then I believe I'll go and rest, until my usual mess is over this month. Maddy, I'm glad you're feeling better. Sirius, talk to you later." He smiled at them and left the room at their goodbyes, going back down to the kitchen to drink his disgusting brew.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Madeleine, I, uh, wanted to apologize for last night," Sirius said tentatively a few minutes later.

"Why?" Maddy asked, surprised.

"Well, I felt as though I ... came on a bit too strong. I don't want to offend you," he said. "I had a wonderful time, though. Sorry it was ruined at the last."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I very much enjoyed myself," Maddy answered, not bothering to admit that a well-placed hex on Victoria had been on her mind after _that_ untimely interruption.

Sirius stared at her contemplatively, and Maddy felt disconcerted by his piercing gaze. "Madeleine," he began, "I also want to thank you ... for everything. I don't know how, though. Anything I think of to say seems so inadequate. If something had happened to you - " He broke off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

She flushed and looked away. "Really, Sirius, it's perfectly alright now. I just feel horrible that you are being pushed to stay here. I don't want you to be stuck in this house on my account."

"I don't mind at all," he replied earnestly, recalling the irony of that statement. He thought back to his initial disagreement with Dumbledore concerning that very issue over a month ago. Now, however, he realized that the musty old house wasn't bothering him very much whatsoever, especially as long as Kreacher stayed away. He would have to find a way to get his mother's portrait off the wall, too. "I enjoy your company," he added.

"Well, same here," replied Maddy.

"However," Sirius said, now looking sternly at her, "it would be nice if you took me to wherever it is you're apparating out of this place. Rather unwise of you to go on your own, you see." He shot a triumphant look at her, and she flushed guiltily.

"How did you know? Did Albus tell you?"

"Yes, he did," Sirius answered crisply, though his eyes gleamed with amusement. "Quite the little rebel, aren't you?"

"I suppose you would know," she answered, smiling in spite of herself. "I've heard plenty about your glory days from Remus."

"Oh really? Well, you know you can't believe a word _he_ says," Sirius retorted, grinning. "But let's not stray from the subject. You need to get out of this mausoleum occasionally, and you need company for your own safety. That's where I come in."

"You _want_ to go with me?" Maddy asked in surprise. "That would be great, though you might be bored out of your mind. The one time I went somewhere couldn't be terribly interesting to anyone else."

"I'll be the judge of that," he said. "Where did you go?"

"Clacton-on-Sea," she answered, embarrassed. "Just to run."

He laughed heartily. "Oh, well, you _could_ do better than that. But there are no shortage of places to escape to. Maybe we could make it a ... friendly competition, Madeleine," he said offhand, though there was a hint of challenge in his voice.

"What does _that_ mean?" Maddy asked, laughing at his tone.

"Well, we'll take turns picking a location to apparate. The other person has to figure out where we are, or suffer the consequences." He grinned wickedly. "We can work out the other details later."

"You clearly believe that you'll be the winner, sounds like," she countered. "I'll accept the challenge. Tomorrow morning is my turn, though, alright? Five-thirty. Can you handle that?"

"I most certainly can," Sirius said with an air of superiority. "Now, let's get something to eat."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

That evening, Sirius, in a further uncharacteristic display, didn't retire to his room early as usual, but remained in the drawing room, reading. Maddy had curled herself up in a chair close to the fire and was looking through a boring journal on arithmancy that Bill Weasley had left her at the last order meeting. Eventually she sighed and put it down in the floor beside her, then stood and walked over to the bookshelf, perusing the titles, which were rather _interesting_, to say the least.

"I'd be careful with some of those," Sirius said, looking up. "My family is well known for taking innocuous objects and rendering them ... dangerous, as you'll remember." His eyes gleamed with humor with this ominous warning. She looked alarmed and removed her hand from one volume that she had been about to pull out. "Want me to check it for you?" he asked. Maddy looked warily at him, suspecting that he was taking the piss more than anything, but she nodded.

"By all means," she said, shrugging. He stood and walked over to her, holding out his hand. Maddy pointed to the book in question, and he pulled it out, rifling through the pages with feigned concern before handing it to her.

"Looks alright, I believe," he said softly, and she looked up at him, taking in his scent and intense gaze which reminded her disturbingly of the vision she'd had which took place on the drawing room floor. She couldn't help but glance down at it, and he raised his eyebrows. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," she replied hastily as he turned his head to look.

"Something interesting about the floor?"

"No, just, ah, thought I saw something move out of the corner of my eye."

"Well, hardly surprising around here. Probably a stray doxy scurrying by that we missed back when we were cleaning." He went back to his chair and sat once more. Maddy sank back down in her own chair and pretended to read, though she couldn't erase the image of making love with Sirius on the floor out of her mind. Once they had both retired to bed, she found that she wasn't really that sleepy. She lay awake for a long time, staring at the ceiling as usual, and contemplated the events of the past few days, then finally she drifted off.


	11. Excursions

Once Maddy drifted off, she slept restlessly that night, with thoughts of Sirius dominating her mind. When she awoke in the early hours of the morning, her memories of the visions since childhood came back to her now with a vengeance. She hoped that she wasn't setting herself up for disappointment with the promising developments taking place. But the fact remained that her recent conversations and evening out with Sirius were encouraging. If nothing else, she decided more rationally, they could at least be friends now. She rolled over and picked up her watch to see the time. Almost five in the morning. She heaved herself out of bed and, yawning, picked out some clothes to wear. She tried to find something flattering, then snorted to herself. It wasn't as if this was another date or anything. In fact, at the end of this morning Sirius would most likely be sorry he'd even asked to accompany her. After pulling on some clunky black boots and sliding her jeans over them, she found a dark turtleneck jumper and pulled it over her head. As she searched desperately for a jacket and scarf under a pile of clothes, she heard a soft knock which made her jump. She stole a quick glance at her hair, groaning at how untidy it looked, and raced to the door. She opened it to see Sirius standing in the doorway expectantly.

" 'Morning, Madeleine," he said, smiling. "I hope you don't mind that I call you that. I prefer it to Maddy, in case you hadn't noticed," he added.

Maddy was pleased. "So do I," she answered, grinning at him. "Maddy's just what I've always been stuck with."

"So, you ready?" Sirius asked cheerfully. He was clearly relishing the thought of escaping Grimmauld Place for a while, even at this ungodly hour. She looked him over. He was dressed differently than usual. Dark jeans, also in a black turtleneck jumper and black leather biker jacket coupled with the long hair, he really looked amazing, she thought. He was noticing her appearance at the same time. "We look like a couple of cat burglers," he said, grinning back at her. "Are we robbing someone, by chance? That what you did last time?"

She laughed. "No, nothing that interesting. I'm afraid you'll regret coming with me, to be honest."

"Oh, I'm sure I won't. So. Ready?"

"Oh. Yeah, let me just do something with my hair." She grabbed a brush off the dresser and frantically ran it through her hair a few times, cursing the static electricity which was making it fly around. Taking her wand, she hurled a charm quickly to tame it, and turned back to Sirius, who was smiling more broadly at her.

"You look very nice," he said sincerely.

"Well, thank you. Let me just say, so do _you_." She looked at him in frank appreciation, though her cheeks flushed after she said it. "Right. Side-along apparition from here, okay?"

"How did you do that on the way back?" he asked, his expression changing to alarm. "Nobody's supposed to be able to apparate into the house from outside."

"I apparate on the front step, or in the alleyway close by," she said.

"Well, you shouldn't be doing that!" he chided her. "This isn't the safest neighborhood, and you're supposed to be protected, and that means staying _in_ the house unless someone's with you ... like myself!"

"I appreciate your concern, but I've been fine so far. And I am a fairly capable witch, safe neighborhood or not," she answered firmly, though touched by his words. "Now. Let's go. Take my arm?" she asked.

"I think not. I certainly trust your skills in apparition, but I like the idea of being a bit closer than holding on to your arm. Do you mind?" Sirius seemed a touch flirty all of a sudden, and Maddy's cheeks burned once more.

"Not at all," she answered, attempting nonchalance. "Do what you need to do."

He put his wand inside his jacket, and put his arms around her. "Do the same," he said, and his voice sounded slightly huskier.

She did as he asked, feeling very pleased, and he pulled her so close her head nestled against his neck. "You pull me any closer and I'm afraid the determination will be sorely lacking. Who knows where we might wind up."

"I'll admit, I don't much care where we go," he said softly.

Maddy tried to think clearly, which was proving difficult. "Mmmm," she murmured into his neck, thinking _this feels good_. "Right. Let's go, then, shall we?" She gripped her wand tightly and looked up at him, feeling disconcerted once more at his close proximity and wonderful scent. He looked back down at her.

"I'm ready when you are."

She thought for a moment about their destination, and managed to concentrate on that. And they were off.

A few minutes later, Sirius and Maddy were standing, still huddled together, in the darkness with wind blowing around them. He looked around at some distant street lights, glowing mistily in the blackness. A faint glow was cast over the east, and upon sniffing the salty air, he realized that they were very close to the ocean. "Where exactly are we, other than the obvious fact that we're at the coast?" he whispered in her ear. "Today's just practice, so I can ask, by the way."

Maddy didn't let go just yet. "Close to Ramsgate, and I don't buy that excuse for a moment. One point to me."

He slowly released her. "Well, I'll give it to you, this time. You're very creative. This has to be a nice change from the mausoleum that is Grimmauld Place." She pulled away reluctantly and began walking slowly toward the beach which was still in darkness.

"Lumos minimus," she whispered, and a dim light was immediately cast from her wand. Sirius pulled his wand out of his jacket and repeated the spell, so they both had light in front of them. They walked in silence for a few minutes on the broad expanse of sands, listening to the sound of wind and ocean waves.

Eventually she noticed the outline of a few rocks large enough to sit on. "Over here?" she asked Sirius.

"Looks good," he answered softly. One of the rocks was large enough to seat both of them, so they sat side by side on it, looking out at the dim orange glow over the sea. Over the next few minutes, it became slowly brighter. They continued to watch it silently. Sirius was close enough for Maddy to feel his warmth beside her, and after a few minutes, he leaned further back by propping himself up by his arms. She looked over at him, hoping that in the near darkness he couldn't tell how closely she was checking him out. His hair, wavy and long, was blown back off his face by the chilly wind. She resisted the urge to touch it as she had done the night next to the lake. Just then, he looked at her and heaved himself up to a sitting position.

"Want to know what I really thought the first time I saw you at the house?"

"What's that?" she asked apprehensively.

"That you looked so lovely, standing there smiling at me. I assumed at first you were with Remus. One reason I was in such a lousy mood. I'm sorry I took all that out on you."

"Oh! Never mind that. I wasn't ever with Remus. We were always only friends."

"Yeah, I know. I asked him."

She felt a tiny thrill at this revelation, but wasn't sure how to respond.

"So," he continued, "we're going to be married and have dozens of children. When do I have the honor of asking for your hand?" She could just make out a wide smile on his face.

Maddy had forgotten that part of an earlier conversation and was glad it was too dark for him to see her burning cheeks. "Oh,_ that_. I'm just pleased you didn't run away screaming when you heard me saying that. You must have thought it was very silly, or maybe terrifying, even." She smiled in his direction shyly.

"No, I didn't. I thought it was very intriguing, though a bit, uh, _overwhelming_, I'll admit. Can't say I've ever been told anything like _that _before."

She looked more closely at him. "Oh, surely women say they'll marry you and have your babies all the time," she teased him.

"Surprisingly, no," he responded with wry humor. "But I enjoy being around you, turns out. And I think you're beautiful. And sweet. And fearless. And I'll apologize again for being so rude to you."

"Fearless?" Maddy laughed, and blushed once more with the compliment. "Oh, right! I'd say that applies more to you. Not me, certainly."

He ignored that comment. "I remember you saying how long it took to recover. You could have died, because of me. But you helped me anyway, knowing you had no wand to drive away dementors." He moved closer to her so she could feel his breath against her face as he talked. "I'm more of a coward, myself."

"That's the last definition that I think could apply to you, Sirius," Maddy answered, feeling extremely disconcerted by his proximity. She looked over at him, noticing his face was now bathed in the early morning glow of sunlight. She pushed hair back off her face as the wind whirled it around.

"I'm still impressed that you tried to visit me in Azkaban before I escaped." Sirius looked intently at her. "I wish to God I could remember more of it. I do recall seeing your face, however, even if it was only fleetingly." He touched her back lightly.

She found it hard to concentrate, feeling the warmth of his hand on her. "I told Dumbledore I would be okay. I mean, you can't have been the only prisoner to have a visitor. I thought the dementors would leave me alone. I suppose I can be a bit too ... arrogant at times," she added ruefully. "Truthfully, I wanted to know if there was anything to all that stuff I'd been seeing. I hoped to find out what you were really like."

"I'm not sure Azkaban was the best place for that. Albus said he tried to discourage you."

"Yeah, he did. And with good reason, obviously, considering how it turned out. But nothing would do me but to go and see you, by myself. I had told him to wait on me at the guards' station, or maybe we'd have both been left unharmed." She shrugged and changed tack. "But you managed to get out. Very clever of you."

"Oh, I don't know about that. I was just determined to find Peter and keep Harry safe." He changed the subject back to an earlier one. "So, Madeleine, do you think we are supposed to be married?" He said it lightly, but watched for her reaction.

She laughed nervously. "Oh, I wouldn't speculate on that. I think maybe those visions were just a means of getting me interested in helping you. Dunno. Maybe it's best not to even talk about it."

"Isn't it? I mean, of course you wouldn't ever ..." he stopped suddenly.

"Wouldn't what?"

He paused. "Look at me that way, I suppose."

"And why would you think that?"

"Well, I suppose I've been very petulant at times. Not considering how lucky I am. Thanks to you and Harry, I have a life now. I was too busy being bitter about being stuck back _there_-" he waved his hand, apparently to indicate Grimmauld Place, "-ah, well, I'll try to behave better from now on." He shot her a sly grin.

Maddy looked back at the rising sun in silence, shivering in the cold breeze. "Ready to go back?" she finally asked softly. She was unsure how to respond and decided he was probably joking about the marriage topic anyway. He shook his head.

"No, let's go somewhere else. I don't feel like being in the house this morning. What do you think? Want to get breakfast around here? Perhaps there's a restaurant serving it along the seafront."

She nodded, and he held out his hand to help her down. They walked along the beach for a few more minutes, then headed up toward town to eat before heading back to Grimmauld Place for the rest of the day.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Alright. I'll give you exactly one minute to figure out where we are." Sirius removed his hands from in front of her eyes and stood back. It was a few days after their apparition to Ramsgate, and now Sirius had taken a turn at finding an interesting location to visit. The one day they had spent in between excursions, at the house, had rendered them both chomping at the bit to get out again as soon as possible.

Maddy blinked a few times and looked around shrewdly in the dim morning light, trying to find any familiar landmark. They were on a grassy hill overlooking the countryside, and nothing significant jumped out at her. Then she noticed something peculiar surrounding her. A white path snaked up each side of where she was standing, and as she turned around and looked down the hill, she saw two symmetrical circular shapes just below it. They bulged out, and then came back together, curling back up in between the straight lines for a bit. Sirius was biting his lip to keep from laughing and appeared very pleased with himself, though Maddy couldn't see what was so funny. She walked away from them and back up the hill between the straight lines until they joined together. She looked dubiously at Sirius.

"Time's running out, Madeleine. Looks like you're stumped."

She thought for a moment, then exclaimed, "Oh! You know what this looks like?" She giggled suddenly.

"What?" he smirked.

"An incredibly large erect dick I'm standing in the middle of," Maddy said with fascination. "Oh my God, this is that chalk Cerne something-or-other giant, isn't it?" She burst into laughter.

"Aw, you got it!" He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Thought I had you on this one. You do realize that you're guaranteed fertility if you jump over his willy, right?"

"Oh, really? You have a go first. I'm not sure I can make it. It's _awfully_ big," she added in feigned awe.

"Nah. I'm not too concerned with the state of my fertility," Sirius said, smiling. He began to walk around the perimeter of the giant. "I heard once that in the last great Muggle war, they disguised it so the Germans couldn't use it for a landmark."

"And just how do you go about hiding something like this? Carve a giant chalk trenchcoat around it?" Maddy snorted at her own humor.

"Maybe so," he replied, laughing heartily. "Walk with me." He took her hand, holding it tightly, and they strolled down to the village in the chilly morning air to see about breakfast, which was quickly becoming their routine on these mornings. Once they had chosen a restaurant, he let go of her when they were seated.

In the noisy cafe, they sat drinking coffee and making small talk while waiting on their orders.

Then Sirius brought something else up. "Remus said Tonks wants to speak to you at the meeting tonight," he said, lowering his voice. "She has some things to talk about regarding your brother."

"Oh," Maddy said as she took a sip. "Not sure I know the answers. I haven't spoken to him in years."

"Whatever happened to your father?" Sirius asked curiously. "I know you said he, uh, killed your mum."

"He went to Azkaban. I'm sure he was there when you were. He didn't last too long, though. Wasn't even there a year before he died." She looked down at her drink and picked up a spoon, stirring it unnecessarily.

"What was his name? Or would you prefer to not to talk about it?"

"Oh, no, that's alright. Marc O'Hannon."

"Hmmm. I don't recall the name, though I'm sure they wouldn't have put him in anywhere near me. It's a huge place." Sirius spoke impassively about it, but Maddy felt uncomfortable with the subject, though more on his account than because of her father. He seemed to notice, and moved in a different direction.

"Is your family Irish, then?" he asked, as their food was put down before them.

She picked up a piece of toast. "Both sets of grandparents were. Mum and Dad were both brought up here in England, though."

"What part?"

"Oxfordshire ... a little town called Chipping Warden, close to Banbury."

"Did you make it down to London much when you were a child?" asked Sirius as they ate.

She shrugged. "Once in a while. Usually to Diagon Alley for the school stuff. Then Christmas shopping. I always liked it there. At least when I went with Mum. If Will or Dad were along, it was more likely to be Knockturn Alley so they could get a look at all the garbage down that way." She shrugged with a distasteful look.

He nodded in agreement, regarding her closely. "Did you have any pets at school?"

Maddy took her time answering. "Yeah. I hate to say what, though." Sirius raised his eyebrows in question. "It was a rat," she finally admitted, looking apologetic.

He groaned in mock disgust. "And here I thought you were so nice!"

"It was a sweet little female rat named Rose," she added in her pet's defense. "Very ordinary."

He smiled back at her. "Rose the rat. You're forgiven, I guess. Well," he announced, "are you ready to go?"

Maddy nodded reluctantly, and they both stood.

After he paid the bill, they left and walked around the little town, with Sirius looking cautiously around to make sure they weren't being followed. He seemed reassured, but said, "Can't be too careful, I suppose, though I don't know how anyone can find us here. What do you think about taking the train back, just to delay the inevitable?"

"Oh, sure," she replied. She had been dreading the return to dismal Grimmauld Place, in spite of his company, and this seemed to be a more palatable option. "Is there a station here, though?"

"No, we'll probably have to apparate to Dorchester, but it's close by, so it won't take but a sec to get there." He looked around, trying to locate their original apparition point, but Maddy had noticed something in a store window.

"Mind if I go in here?" she asked.

"Not at all." He followed her into the little shop selling souvenirs, and she browsed around the place, smiling at the shopkeeper, who greeted them cheerily. Finally she found a mug with a picture of the giant in all his glory, and showed it to Sirius. Then she spied something else. "Dear Merlin," she breathed euphorically. "Are you fixing dinner tonight, by chance?"

"Possibly," he answered, laughing as he continued to check out her mug.

"Well, you'll be needing _this_ then," Maddy said, keeping a straight face as she showed him an apron with the same rendering of the naked man on the front, only much larger.

He smirked. "I don't think so. But buy it for Molly. I'm sure she'll want to put it on. I'll take one of _these_, instead." He picked out another mug, this one altered to show the giant wearing boxers.

"Chicken," Maddy teased. He rolled his eyes at her amiably and brushed her off, smiling, as she tried to pay for both mugs.

"I'll get it," he said softly. He took the bag and his change, and they exited the shop. Now he headed for their apparition point, and took her hand firmly, leading her into the dim backstreet.

Once there, Sirius drew Maddy close. "Let's go catch the train," he said, feeling a bit let down that their morning out was almost over. Maddy nodded, feeling much the same way, though she didn't say anything. "Come hither, my dear," he said, finally winking facetiously and pulling her closer to him. Maddy walked into his arms and hugged him tightly, invigorated by his flirtatious behavior and their enjoyable morning together. He was surprised by her eagerness, but took his time preparing to apparate, luxuriating in the feel of her body next to his.

"I've had a wonderful time with you," she said softly. Sirius fought an overwhelming urge to kiss her fiercely, but he looked down at her, trying desperately to gather some restraint. He had longed to put his lips on hers once more ever since their night out, though he had held back, thinking he had been too brazen. But then Maddy tilted her head back, smiling at him. "You're really a lot of fun," she continued, and with a sly grin at him, she leaned up until her lips touched his, and kissed him slowly and seductively.

"I'm trying to be good," he said, more harshly than he meant to, and broke the embrace off as he felt an intense tightening in his groin. "But you're not making it easy."

She pulled away, looking hurt and surprised. "I'm sorry." He immediately felt ridiculous, as though he had overreacted. "Let's go," she added. She loosened her grip on him even more, and the moment was gone.

They apparated to Dorchester and bought a few tickets at the station for the trip to London. Sirius was feeling increasingly frustrated and angry with himself for his reaction to Maddy's advances in Cerne Abbas. She had quietened down considerably once they boarded the train, looking out the window for much of the ride and giving only perfunctory responses to his comments. After a few hours of limited conversation, they arrived at King's Cross station. Sirius was at a loss at how to repair the situation by this time, and watched her closely, though she now seemed to be avoiding his gaze.

She immediately began to walk briskly away from the station and down the street. Sirius stayed with her, and soon they arrived at his house in Grimmauld Place. She stood looking in the other direction as the house became visible, then quickly walked up the stairs to the door. They went inside, spying Kreacher at once, who was lugging around a sack full of mysterious items that clanged loudly on the floor as he trudged down the hallway. He turned a baleful eye upon them, then looked back toward his destination, muttering softly. Sirius glared at him as he went, feeling irrationally that the house elf had ruined the morning, just by being there, even more than he himself had.

"Do you want this?" he asked quietly as he tried to salvage some semblance of their previous camaraderie. He held up the bag containing the mugs.

"Oh," she said offhand, shrugging. "Just put it in the kitchen whenever. Thanks for going with me. I need to go take a shower." She took off up the stairs toward the bedroom she was using, leaving him standing by the front door alone.

He walked down the hallway toward the basement stairs in a black mood. _Where the hell is Remus?_ he thought irritably. The other man was surely around somewhere. But when he arrived in the kitchen, it was empty and quiet, with only a note saying that Remus had gone somewhere with Tonks. This put Sirius in an even worse frame of mind, imagining Remus and Tonks locked in exactly the kind of embrace that he had denied himself.

He spent much of the afternoon nursing his vexation, and wished that the damnable Order meeting was some other night. Maddy stayed away in other parts of the house, though he found her once in the drawing room, seemingly engrossed in some arithmancy journal. She barely looked up at him, and he didn't join her, but wandered around the house aimlessly looking for something to do. Finally he walked back into the drawing room, glaring in her direction.

"I'm going out for a while," he stated shortly.

"Have a nice time," she responded just as acerbically.

"May not be back until the meeting," he added, and she nodded imperceptibly, still in the middle of whatever article she was reading. He left the room, leaving her confused and irritated by his unpredictable behavior.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

After Sirius' abrupt exit, Maddy felt like the world's biggest fool for assuming that he actually wanted her. But, she argued indignantly to herself, he had held her hand all morning and practically acted as though they were a couple. He had also kissed her passionately only a few nights before. Was she so rusty, and perhaps childish, in such matters that she had completely misunderstood him? _Bollocks_, she snorted to herself. He apparently had no idea how to handle being around women, she concluded waspishly. And here he was acting moody toward her, as though it was all her fault. Ridiculous man.

Her mood didn't improve any when the order meeting started that evening and Sirius still hadn't returned. The Weasleys, Tonks, Remus, Kingsley and Maddy sat around the table, waiting. After postponing it for a few minutes to see if he would show up, Tonks finally gave up and began the meeting with rather a large bombshell. "Maddy," she said tentatively, "I've got some information on your brother. Albus had wanted me to do a bit of background work on him in my spare time." She stopped suddenly, observing her friend for her reaction.

Maddy shrugged bewilderedly. "Well, did you find out something?"

Tonks looked over at Remus, who appeared embarrassed. Maddy followed her gaze, looking at him inquisitively. He said nothing, however, but Tonks continued. "Yeah. Found out a tiny piece of information right off. Did you know he's married?"

"Um, _no_." Maddy shook her head in surprise. "Is that important, though?"

"It very well may be," Tonks admitted. "Where the bloody hell is Sirius, anyway?"

"Who knows?" Maddy said irritably. "Just tell me what's going on. Do you know his wife or something?"

"No. _You've_ met her, however. She's a blonde witch, thirty-two years old, and suspected Voldemort sympathizer, though far as we know not a death eater. Her name is Victoria Dunham."

Maddy closed her eyes in disbelief. "Not _that _Victoria?" she finally managed incredulously. Tonks nodded. As the other members sat in silence watching her, the sound of footsteps was heard from the stairs. Everyone in the room looked uncomfortably toward them to see Sirius standing there, looking surprised to be the center of attention.

"Maddy, do you want to tell him?" Tonks asked, unsure whether or not to treat the matter as humorous.

"Tell me what?" Sirius asked roughly. "Sorry I'm late." He walked into the room and slid into his usual chair at the head of the table.

Maddy looked directly at him for the first time since that morning. "Victoria is married," she stated bluntly, then took a sip of wine.

He opened his mouth, but said nothing at first. "_Victoria?_ The one I -"

"Your little girlfriend," Maddy added helpfully. His expression hardened at her tone.

"She obviously _isn't_ my girlfriend, as you well know. How exactly did this come up?" he asked sarcastically.

His manner chafed her, and Maddy looked evenly at him. "Tonks was asked to do a bit of research on my brother, Will. Apparently, he has a wife, which I _didn't _know. And her maiden name is Victoria Dunham."

Sirius' face went white, and he looked around at the other Order members, who now avoided his gaze. "Well. Right. What else do we need to talk about?" he said eventually, attempting to drop the subject.

"Well, the fact that Maddy's brother is obviously willing to use his _wife_ to get to her," Tonks said, coughing delicately, "through you, it would seem."

"Yes, I'd gathered that by now. Didn't succeed, though, did she?"

Remus spoke. "I'd be very interested to find out how they knew Maddy would be staying with Sirius at that time. Obviously the information was leaked out somehow. But only a few people knew about it at the time she came here."

"Well, I never said a word to anyone besides Albus," Maddy answered, shrugging. She glanced over at Sirius, whose mood hadn't improved a bit.

"Are you saying _I _did?" he demanded incredulously.

"No," she retorted. "Who do _you _think leaked it out, though?"

"No idea," Sirius answered, looking at Remus now. "I'm sure you didn't say anything, right?"

"Not a word," Remus said. "But anyway, it stands to reason, Maddy, that you continue to be very careful and don't go out unaccompanied. In the meantime, we'll try to puzzle that one out. So, what other business is there?"

The remainder of the meeting went smoothly and broke up in less than an hour. Afterwards, Tonks and Maddy stood around talking with Molly as the men left the room. Maddy finally yawned and declared that it was time for her to go to bed. She excused herself and snuck out of the kitchen, leaving the others behind. Instead of going upstairs, though, she went through a darkened room and found a door that led outside into a tiny garden. The area was decrepit and overgrown, and she had only discovered its existence recently, but there was a small bench in the middle, half-rotted. She sat down on it gingerly, testing it first to make sure it still held her weight.

The evening was cold, but Maddy paid no attention to the temperature as she sat staring up at the sky. The lights from the city tended to dim the stars considerably, though it made no difference on this cloudy night. Then she heard a squeak as the door opened, and looked back over her shoulder. She could just make out the shadow of a tall man who approached her slowly. It was Sirius. He stood over her, looking down.

"Madeleine? Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"Yes. Just came out here for a bit of fresh air."

"It's chilly."

"I know," she answered.

"Move over, will you?" She complied, and he eased himself down close to her. They sat in silence at first. Then he spoke. "I feel as though I'm always apologizing to you lately. But first of all, I need to tell you that I am sorry for what happened this morning. I really didn't mean to react that way when you kissed me."

"Oh, just forget about it," Maddy replied. "It's not important."

"It is to me. I wanted to kiss you. But for some reason I felt a bit guilty about the other night."

"Why?"

"I ... well, I could have done much more if Victoria hadn't shown up when she did. And now ...Lord, I'm such a fool for ever seeing her! I mean, she meant nothing to me ... just someone to go out with, but, shit, I should have known ..."

Maddy looked up at him and sighed. "Don't be ridiculous. Who would think to vet the background of some girl you met in a pub? Don't beat yourself up over this, Sirius. Dark wizards are a bunch of nutters who'll do anything for Voldemort. Apparently my idiot brother is no exception." She rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"I'm worried for you, Madeleine, more than before," he said softly. "Do _not_ go out on your own, alright? Even if you're apparating away from inside the house."

Maddy observed him for a moment, and decided to revisit an earlier subject. "How much more could you have done?" she asked lightly.

"What?"

"If Victoria hadn't come along ..." she prompted gently.

Sirius looked down at her and considered his words before replying. Finally, he leaned even closer and whispered, "I could have easily taken you to bed."

"I would've let you," Maddy whispered back.

"Do you think that's wise, though?"

"Well ... I suppose that depends. Do you want only sex?" she asked bluntly, looking directly at him.

He leaned over so that their lips were almost touching. "No. I want _you_. Very much."

"Then," she said softly, "I don't see a problem." She didn't make any move to kiss him, though, remembering that morning. He understood her hesitation, and brushed his lips against hers gently. As he did, he took a hand and touched her face tenderly.

"You are _so_ beautiful," Sirius murmured, then continued placing soft kisses on her face, eventually moving back to her mouth. Maddy made a guttural noise of pleasure as they grew more intense. His hands touched her hair softly, and he threaded his fingers through the strands as he pressed himself against her. She could feel his arousal, and stroked him there with a hand, making him groan. "Go up to my room?" he asked roughly, in between deep kisses.

"Yes," she breathed, and he stood up, taking her tightly in his arms when she rose. With a _pop_, they disappeared into the house.


	12. Intimacy

**Rated 'M' for sexual situations**

Once they were upstairs, Maddy looked around Sirius' dimly lit bedroom. "This is beautiful," she said, amazed that it wasn't shabby like the other areas of the house, but seemed to be wonderfully preserved. The room was richly appointed with mahogany furniture, all pieces of which were in flawless condition. A mossy green velvet duvet covered the bed and two beautifully upholstered chairs sat in front of the window in an adjoining sitting area.

"Not trying to change the subject, are you?" Sirius said softly, still holding her very close. "We can discuss the state of the bedroom later, if you please. I've other things on my mind for now." He put his mouth on hers and kissed her slowly. Brushing his nose gently against hers, he changed positions slightly and touched his lips to hers once more.

"Can't remember if I told you this, but I couldn't take my eyes off you the first night I saw you here." He spoke softly and his tone was seductive. "And you looked so happy to see me. I thought I must be imagining it."

Now Maddy touched his face and put her lips to his. "You weren't imagining things. Although I was rather afraid to meet you. Excited, but afraid. I had no idea what to expect."

"Well, I expect you were vastly _underwhelmed_, after the way I acted then," he said with a wry look.

"No. Confused, more like. But it doesn't matter now," Maddy said. She longed to tell him more, how she had searched for him the entire year at Hogwarts when he was on the run, and that after her stay in St. Mungo's and subsequent recovery, she had desperately wanted to see him and talk to him once more, though her chance never came until she arrived at Grimmauld Place with Remus. But she recalled her embarrassing habit of saying too much, and decided that it could wait until another time. She wasn't really in the mood to talk now, anyway.

Apparently Sirius had come to the same conclusion, and began to unbutton her blouse. She wore a delicate long necklace of scrolling silver around her neck with a large black onyx that lay between her breasts, and he touched it lightly, tracing it from there and up around the curves of her throat until he reached a sensitive spot. She drew in a breath, shivering involuntarily, and he laughed softly in response.

"Do you like that?"

She nodded, looking up at his face, which, in the dim light, was shadowed. His grey eyes now appeared black as night, and he kept them focused on Maddy as he unbuttoned her blouse slowly.

"I'm amazed at your restraint," she whispered. "I'm ready to rip all your clothes off, myself." She sighed with pleasure at his touch. He had stopped at her breasts and was lazily circling her nipples with warm fingers through the thin fabric of her bra.

Rather than responding, Sirius sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling her in front of him. He took a nipple in his mouth, using his tongue to the same effect as his fingers had a moment before. She groaned and raked her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. His mouth grew more relentless, and he suddenly grabbed her, pulling her roughly into his lap so her legs were on each side of his waist.

"Speaking of ripping clothing off," he said hoarsely, "I'm tempted to do that right now." He undid the rest of her buttons quickly, and she shrugged her blouse off. The bra was discarded soon after.

"You are _so _beautiful," he murmured, placing his hands on her waist. "Touch _me_ now." He laid back on the bed, taking her with him so she was now lying on top. Maddy positioned herself so she was directly on his erect cock, and moved provocatively against him, kissing his lips as she did. He spoke again, slightly out of breath. "The clothing is going to have to come off, my sweet Madeleine. Then you may resume." He smiled slyly at her. Rather than replying, she slid off him and began undoing his clothing. Eventually he was completely naked, and she sat on the bed, gazing at him lying there.

"You are beautiful, yourself," Maddy said. "I love the tattoos. And that silly giant has _nothing_ on you," she added, grinning evilly. He laughed out loud. She began to trace each inky design with a finger, and then kissed them lightly, one by one, making him draw in his breath harshly as he watched. She continued to move down toward his stomach until she touched the last one to her lips. She could feel his arousal next to her skin, and moved down to put her lips on _that_, and he gasped loudly at the sensation.

"Take your clothes off," he demanded roughly after she began to exchange soft kisses on his cock with smooth lapping from her tongue over the length of it. She ignored him, even as he grasped her hair, desperate for some part of her to take hold, and continued what she was doing. Then, moving back to his stomach, she put his member between her breasts and kissed his belly more harshly now as she moved against him. "Do as I ask," Sirius commanded again, breathing heavily. Maddy paid no attention, but pulled herself up further on top of him once more and kissed his mouth repeatedly, shifting so that his engorged cock was sandwiched in between her legs. He suddenly flipped her over, pinning her under him.

"I'll do it myself," he growled, and kissed her viciously before moving off her to pull the remainder of her clothing off. "I want you completely naked before me." Once he had removed everything, he climbed back on top of her, looking down hungrily. He placed his mouth on a breast, kissing and sucking it softly. Now it was her turn to squirm, and he smiled at that. Then he paused for a moment and caressed her with his hands instead, starting at her breasts and moving down the length of her body. As soon as he had one nudged in between her legs, he stroked the area softly, making her moan. He recalled his recent erotic daydream while at the kitchen table, and the thought of licking her wet mound now excited him to no end. But he hadn't made love with anyone in a very long time, and felt an overwhelming need to put himself inside her immediately. He positioned himself so that the tip of his cock touched her wetness, and with one heavy thrust, he did.

They both gasped at this, and she dug her fingernails into his back involuntarily, arching herself against him. "Oh God," she whispered as he began to move inside. He tried his best to go slowly, to make it last as long as possible, but the feeling of being in that sweet space with so much juicy wetness made him groan with ecstasy. He couldn't help but shove himself harder into her, repeatedly. They both made noises of pleasure with every movement, and finally he cried out, coming fiercely. Waves of pleasure overtook him, and he sank his face down on hers, burying her with kisses. Her arms encircled his body, and they continued to kiss without breaking apart for several minutes. Gradually they slowed down and exchanged tender kisses back and forth, gazing at each other.

"I should get off you," Sirius finally whispered. "I must be very heavy."

"No. I like the feel of you on me," Maddy whispered back against his lips. She kissed him slowly, and he smiled at her.

"Oh, dear God, it feels so good to be here with you," Sirius said, sighing with latent pleasure from their previous activity. "Will you stay with me tonight? I want to wake up next to you." He rolled off her, in spite of her words, and lay facing her.

"Yeah," she answered, turning toward him and kissing him again. He took one of her hands, threading his fingers through hers, and laid the entwined hands on her stomach. "I'd love nothing more."

Maddy looked up at him, thinking how beautifully handsome he was to her. Even with the delicate lines on his face and a thinness that had never completely resolved from his years in prison, she couldn't stop looking at him. His eyes were a particularly beautiful shade of smoky grey, and they watched her intensely as she took him in. "What are you thinking?" he asked, pulling her closer.

"Well ... okay, first of all, just how did you rate such a beautifully kept bedroom? Are you paying Kreacher more than the rest of us are?"

He laughed. "Well, for _your_ information, this was my parents' room, back in the day. Kreacher apparently reserved all his energies on keeping it looking in pristine shape after they both died. His little heart was broken. If he ever had one, that is. Needless to say, the rest of the place suffered." He grinned at her. "But _you_ can stay in here whenever you like." He planted a tender kiss on her lips. "I'm afraid Moony will have to make do with that mouldy old room he's currently in, however. He's not allowed the same privileges as you."

"Good to know," Maddy answered with a laugh.

They laid side by side in silence, touching each other's bodies lightly. Finally Sirius spoke once more.

"So were all the boys in love with you? At Hogwarts, I mean."

She snorted. "Oh, no. Well, maybe Fred and a few others followed me around a bit. He actually tried arithmancy for an entire term, but then finally gave up. Sweet kid, though."

Now Sirius made the same noise, and grinned. "Yes, absolutely. Little angels, the pair of them. Thought they were going to destroy the house when they were here. But _I_ certainly would have followed you around," he added slyly.

Maddy laughed. "I would've let you. In fact, I might have gotten in trouble over you." She smiled back at him and touched his face as he laughed.

"I do miss Harry, though," he said. "We've not had much time at all together, unfortunately. Dumbledore seemed to think it was best over the summer." He made a more derisive noise to indicate his displeasure with _that_ person.

"So," he continued, gently changing the subject, "where did you go after you left St. Mungo's?"

She looked away for a moment, thinking of what to say. Feeling he had said something wrong, Sirius added, "I'm sorry. You probably don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, no. It's alright," she reassured him. "I wandered around for a bit. No particular place. I felt somewhat adrift. I'd lost the position at Hogwarts. Well," she amended, "Vector had returned, so it worked out. I knew it was always an interim type thing, and really, after the attack, I was rather afraid of the place. But I suppose I didn't know what to do with myself. Then Albus contacted me over the summer, once Voldemort came back." She shuddered, thinking about that, and he now touched her face. "He told me he had some information that Will wanted to bring me to Voldemort; to try and get in his good graces after fleeing, back when they all scattered in '81. He suggested that I stay out of view, for a while, at least."

He nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry I was so hateful with you about Azkaban," he said, remembering how he had reacted to their breakfast conversation after she first arrived.

"It's alright. I wouldn't want to discuss it with anyone either. It was a bit different for me, though, y'know? Why I asked you about it, I mean."

"Yes, I _do_ know," Sirius answered, planting another soft kiss on her lips. "God, I can't get enough of touching and kissing you," he said, repeating the movement. "So, do you want to go somewhere in the morning? Or would you rather stay in?" he added as an afterthought, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest sleeping in tomorrow morning," she answered, smiling back at him, then suddenly she yawned. The thought of making love with Sirius the following morning sounded much more appetizing than taking an early jaunt somewhere else in Britain.

"Ready to go to sleep?" he asked softly.

She leaned over to him. "Mmmm. For now, maybe. But you can wake me up later, if you'd like." Giving him a lingering kiss which he returned, she laid her head on the downy pillow. He felt every bit as sleepy, and laid his head beside hers, feeling remarkably content. He put an arm around her waist, and they laid there until both fell asleep.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Mmmm. I feel like Scarlett O'Hara the morning after her big night with Rhett," Maddy said, completely satiated. It was very early the next day and they both were still lying in bed, facing each other. Sirius had already woken her in the middle of the night, wanting her, and then again a few hours later. Now he lay next to her, feeling very languorous and immobile.

He looked closely at Maddy, who was slowly opening her eyes. "She a relative of yours?" he murmured sleepily.

She laughed. "Nah. I have this fascination with muggle films. She's in an old one called _Gone With the Wind_."

"Ah. So, what happens now?" Sirius asked, changing the subject.

Maddy stretched lazily, feeling immensely satisfied, though a bit sore from their activities. She rolled over to lay propped up on her elbows. "What do you mean exactly?" she asked, kissing him softly on the lips.

"Well ... we've done things a bit backwards, I suppose. We already live together in the same house. We are now officially intimate. So, I guess I'm wondering what happens every night from now until ... whenever." He took a stray lock of her hair and gently pushed it back behind her ear.

"Hopefully more of the same," she replied, grinning mischievously. "You take me to bed. We make love at least three times a night, sometimes during the day, we enjoy each other's company when we're doing nonsexual things ... and, well, what else did you want to know?"

He laughed. "I guess that covers everything. It's just odd that we, um, already _live_ together. The dating process has accelerated rather quickly."

Maddy observed him thoughtfully. "Is that a problem for you? Be honest, because I ... care very much for you and I don't want to mess anything up."

He didn't speak at first.

"Did I say too much?" she asked suddenly, worried that she had committed a grievous error with her words.

"No!" Sirius insisted. "It's just ... you're the first woman I've been really interested in, in _years_, obviously, and _I _just don't want to fuck things up. So if I've moved too fast, well, I'd like to say I'm sorry. I'm really not, though. The more I'm around you, I find that I think about you all the time, and I've wanted to do _this _for quite some time as well."

He kissed her now, suddenly feeling more aggressive, and turned her over until he was leaning over her and she was on her back with her head on the pillow. The kiss continued for a while, slowly building in intensity, until he couldn't resist parting her legs and putting himself inside her once more. Maddy moaned with pleasure and snaked her arms around his waist, forcing him closer. "Oh God," he gasped. "I hope you don't mind one more time."

She laughed in the midst of the act, feeling a joyous sense of ecstasy at his desire for her. "I don't mind at all," she whispered as they pleased each other again.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

By late morning, they finally ventured out of Sirius' bedroom and snuck down the stairs. Once on the lower landing, Sirius looked furtively around for Remus, though he felt silly even as he did it, as if his friend would care that he had bedded Madeleine. But, in a way, it was rather fun, knowing that it was _their_ secret, such as it was. For now, at least. He brushed Maddy's hand softly with his own as they paused on the landing, and looked down at her. God, she was lovely. She shot him a sly grin and used her own hand, brushing something else with it. He groaned and, looking around once more, pushed her against the wall and kissed her soundly. Her body made a muffled noise at the contact with it, and in the distance, they heard a voice.

"Padfoot? You finally up?"

Sirius stopped with great reluctance and kissed her again, more softly this time. Then, leaning over the railing, he called back, "Yeah, Moony. Where are you?"

"Drawing room. You missed breakfast," came the distant voice in response.

He looked longingly at Maddy and went for one last hard kiss, then took her hand tightly, leading her down the stairs. He let go just outside the drawing room, and peered in to see Remus reading the _Prophet_. His friend looked up and took in the two disheveled people standing in the doorway.

"Rough night, Sirius?" he asked innocently. "Coffee's made, by the way."

"Right. We'll just pop down and have some. Be back up later." He began walking down more stairs toward the basement. Maddy peeked back at Remus just before following him, and received an insolent wink and knowing smile from the man. She blushed and turned quickly on her heel, following Sirius downstairs to the kitchen.


	13. Changing Seasons

While the fall days grew cool and crisp moving into October and November, things in Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place continued to heat up considerably between the two people sharing quarters there. Remus was absent more often now as he gave his friends some space and moved ahead with his own relationship with Tonks. Maddy and Sirius were now frequently left by themselves and were thriving as a couple, despite their dismal accomodations.

Their new status had never been officially confirmed by them to other order members, but it was becoming increasingly obvious during meetings and random visits by other wizards that the affection between the two people had risen to a new level. Molly Weasley noticed quite a bit with her keen eye, even though she had always been somewhat disapproving of Sirius. She took Maddy aside at one point early on following a meeting, asking her if Sirius had been making unwelcome advances on her. Maddy assured Molly succinctly that Sirius' advances were anything _but _unwelcome. The other witch was shocked into silence by this pronouncement and said nothing further, at least for the moment. Maddy never repeated anything to Sirius about _that_ conversation, not wishing to increase any tension between him and Mrs. Weasley, though she personally found it amusing.

The differences in their manner to each other were subtle, though, to anyone watching. Maddy had begun a habit of sitting next to Sirius during order meetings, and his eyes were always trained intently on her whenever she spoke in the course of a meeting. When she rose from her seat, she made a point to touch him gently on his shoulder as she walked past. If he were getting up for something to drink, he automatically took her glass to refill it along with his. They weren't interested in calling undue attention to themselves, but neither seemed to mind if anyone noticed these little ministrations.

Curiously, Maddy's visions had dropped off quite a bit after she and Sirius began sleeping together. Once their intimacy had been established, it seemed almost as though she had no further need of them. She was happier than she could ever remember being as the things she had seen for years were coming to fruition, and even the thought of her detestable brother no longer bothered her at the moment. She was still very careful, however, and never left Grimmauld Place alone. The house made a very convenient and safe refuge for the time being, and as long as she and Sirius, or sometimes herself and Tonks, went elsewhere frequently, the atmosphere wasn't quite so oppressive.

Though she couldn't bring herself to say it to him, she was also very much in love with Sirius by now. He hadn't uttered the words himself, and she was too afraid of a lack of response to tell him just yet. But he _had_ to know it, she thought. On an intellectual level, the conversations and debates between them were enjoyable. In addition, they had developed a very affectionate and witty manner with each other, and the sexual aspect of their relationship was beyond satisfying. Remus had encountered them on more than a few occasions locked in passionate embraces, and had taken to loudly announcing his presence prior to entering any room in the house when he was there. He understood, though, as his own romance with Tonks grew stronger.

Sirius himself seemed to be thriving exceptionally well that season, considering the place he was living had been such a source of unhappiness for him as a child. He rarely paid any attention to the hateful image of his mother behind the curtain in the hall portrait and all but ignored Kreacher whenever possible. He and Maddy went out of doors frequently, though they tended to avoid places in London, preferring obscure locations in other parts of the country. Sirius began to feel bold enough to stay overnight in some places, though always in muggle establishments where it was highly unlikely that anyone unsavory might find them. He was enjoying himself immensely in all aspects of his relationship with his new girlfriend and, though he said nothing at the time, began to think of her as someone he could love deeply. His only real model of a good relationship had been that of James and Lily, and he thought of them often now, comparing their romance to himself and Maddy. The idea of _marriage_ was still fairly intimidating, however, and he didn't allow himself to think about it very much, especially considering how fulfilling their current living arrangements already were. In the back of his mind, he felt _that_ particular dilemma would take care of itself someday.

Sirius still went off by himself occasionally, though. While normally content to take Maddy with him to various places, once in a while a bit of melancholy crept up on him and he left for a while, preferring to be alone. On these occasions, he mostly visited James and Lily's graves and looked over the ruins of their cottage, and doing so in pensive solitude made the most sense. Relaying his thoughts to the memory of James while leaning against a headstone in the graveyard still comforted him when he was haunted by memories of Azkaban and his friends' deaths. Usually, though, he would feel a twinge of guilt at leaving Maddy. She never interrogated him about where he had been, even though she was curious, and she seemed to realize that his well-being was refreshed by these excursions. He always found something to bring back to her from Godric's Hollow, almost in apology. He would visit one of the quaint shops on the High Street and find a piece of jewelry or some other tiny memento, presenting it to her on his return.

An overcast day in late November was one such occasion. Sirius had woken up that morning with a feeling of gloom sweeping over him, and realized sleepily that he had just been dreaming of James. His friend's face had moved frustratingly in and out of focus, and though Sirius had called out to him, James slowly faded away. Sirius awoke to see Maddy leaning over him with concern. She didn't say anything, but kissed him gently, then laid her head back down on the pillow as she watched him. He turned over to face her, and put a hand on her waist.

"Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "You seemed a little distressed. It's alright. You okay?"

"Yeah, of course," he answered, and rubbed his eyes. "I may go out in a bit, though, if you don't mind. Then maybe we can do something together later today."

Maddy nodded. "Sure." She was disappointed, but didn't want him to know it. Though Sirius seemed happy with her and reasonably well-adjusted, she felt he would probably never completely rid himself of guilt and regret over past events. Staying in Grimmauld Place certainly couldn't help matters, either. So she figured that her best course of action was to let him go when he felt he needed it.

Sirius leaned over and kissed her quickly, then pulled the covers back and swung his long legs over the side of the bed, yawning as he did. Maddy sat up and looked at the time. Almost eight. She decided to get out of bed herself and make some coffee. As Sirius walked, naked, over to the ornate wardrobe to find some clothes, she sat on the edge of the bed watching him appreciatively. He felt her eyes on him and turned to face her.

"What is it?" he asked, and despite his somber mood, he smiled knowingly at her.

"Just looking," Maddy answered innocently. She knew he probably wasn't in any mood for sex.

He walked back over to her. "Later, perhaps?" he asked softly, giving her a longer kiss this time.

"Please," she said, smiling back at him.

They both dressed and went downstairs. Remus was out of the house, so Kreacher's usual "cleaning" noises and Mrs. Black's snores were the only other sounds besides themselves. They made some toast and munched on it as they drank coffee while leaning against the counter.

After breakfast, Sirius said goodbye to Maddy and kissed her, promising to return before too long. Then he apparated away, straight from the kitchen. She stood watching him quickly fade out of view, then picked up their dishes, putting them in the sink. She sighed, feeling bored already, and wished that he would have let her go with him. Sirius wasn't the only person who thought this house was depressing. She finally settled herself in the drawing room with _Pride and Prejudice_, one of her favorite novels, and read for a while.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius wandered around Godric's Hollow, now so familiar with its winding lanes that he could easily have done it blindfolded. And he _had_ actually considered living here, back before Maddy's arrival. In fact, some of the muggle villagers assumed he was a resident, having seen him on numerous occasions. They wondered where the tall, mysterious dark-haired man lived, having never seen him emerge from any of the cottages lining their streets. The wizarding families knew better, however, recognizing Sirius from any number of pictures over the years. By now, they left him alone, assuming correctly that he was paying his respects to his old friends.

Today, though, he felt guilty for leaving Madeleine behind. He knew she must feel as oppressed by Grimmauld Place as he did at times. He had thought about bringing her here anyway, but feared she might think his little ritual was silly. In a peculiar way, though, he wanted her to 'meet' James and Lily, so to speak, since she couldn't ever see them in person.

Sirius walked slowly through the old graveyard until he reached his friends. _James, Lily, _he thought in greeting. _I'm back again. I know it sounds ridiculous, even as I'm thinking this. But there's someone I want you to meet. _

_Your girlfriend, _the imaginary James replied smugly. _About time you had one of those._

Sirius snorted. _Haven't exactly had many dating opportunities since you've been gone, mate. Until the last year or so, anyway._

_Well, I certainly understand. At least your taste has improved from years past. This one really cares about you, _James continued.

_You've no idea, _Sirius thought back. _She's the one who saved my miserable arse for me a few times. James-_

_Yeah?_

_Should I tell her I'm in love with her?_

_Good for you, Pads! You need ask? I bravely told Lily, didn't I?_

_Oh, yes. You bravely proclaimed your love six or seven years straight at Hogwarts, as I recall. I also remember her many and varied responses to your passionate declarations. Most of which were rather scathing, hence my own reluctance to say anything._

_But she eventually fell for me. That's the important thing._

_What if Madeleine – that's her name – doesn't tell me that in return?_

_You've told me her name. Many times, in fact. Oh, come on, Padfoot. Women can't resist your wiles. I happen to know she loves you. She's told you when you're sleeping. She thought you couldn't hear. _

_Really? _Sirius mulled this over in his mind, wondering when she had said it.

_Going to ask for her hand someday?_

_Oh please, dear Merlin, no. I don't want to think about that._

_It's not so scary, mate. Sex whenever you want it. Well, _he corrected himself, _most of the time._

_I've _already _got that. What's the difference? Were you happier married?_

_Absolutely. It could be a bit boring at times, but mostly it was very fulfilling. The most exquisite thing two people could do for each other_, he added, a touch pompously. _I would venture that your Madeleine is every bit as sweet and beautiful as Lily was to me. She could have died, right? But she was determined to take care of you. _

_Not sure I was worth that. _

_Well, young man, you are. Very much. You'd do well to remember that. Is that why you're hesitating?_

_Oh! Well, no, it's just ... we've only been together for a few months now. Hardly enough time to be thinking of proposing. _Suddenly the image of presenting her with a ring nudged itself into his mind. Jesus, could he really ever do that? He had never given a thought to being _married_ after his freedom had been granted. He had only wanted to be left alone to deal with his memories; the dates he had been on seemed to be only good for filling tiny cracks in his life, and nothing more.

Sirius recalled a memory from last year, when he had left England and gone far away. He had visited Amsterdam, among many other places, but stayed in nearby Haarlem. He spent the entire time barely speaking to anyone, only wandering around. Some lively carnival rides had been set up in the Grote Markt, and he recalled roaming among them aimlessly, observing what seemed like multitudes of happy couples enjoying themselves as colors swirled around them. No woman would look at _him_, he had thought sardonically to himself. Once he had seen himself in a mirror after his name had been cleared, he had been disgusted. Any vestige of good looks had completely disappeared, at least in his mind, and all he was left with was a face that looked much older than his actual years.

But then he had returned to England, and set foot back in wizarding London. Suddenly women came up to him boldly, asking him out wherever he was. They seemed so interested, and the attention was intoxicating, at least initially. After a few encounters, sexual and otherwise, however, he began to feel that _he_ wasn't what they were attracted to. Questions were constantly posed to him over dates ... what had Azkaban been like? What were all the tattoos for? Had he (and this one still mortified him) had sex with other men? _Fuck, no_, he wanted to say. _They were too afraid of me. Not only that, but nobody could so much as wank off in that place, unless they wanted a dementor in their face_. Out of these women, he had yet to find anyone who seemed interested in accepting him for who he really was: a damaged, lonely thirty-four year old man who desperately missed human company, yet was frightened of it at the same time. Who was currently skimming the fringe of life, merely existing only for his godson. But then he had rejoined the Order and subsequently met one woman who, amazingly, cared for him more than anyone, even Remus, and seemed to take him just as he was. Of course, he had nearly ruined that.

But he had finally gotten over his initial fear of Madeleine, and had allowed himself happiness; a lovely feeling of warmth in his heart, which he had never expected. He suddenly recalled that as he had wandered around Europe and London, Madeleine was slowly recovering from the horror of being attacked by dementors on his behalf. He felt a renewed rush of love for her.

Could he really love her enough to marry her, though? Or did he even have a choice, considering her prophesies, of sorts, about the two of them? That gave him a niggling feeling of doubt and latent fear, and he brushed the topic quickly aside.

_Talk to you later, Prongs. I may be back._

_I'm always right here, _James answered drolly.

Sirius looked around the deserted graveyard for signs of other humans, but saw none. He took his wand out and apparated back home.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Later, bored with Grimmauld Place and Jane Austen, Maddy wandered around a large room, looking casually Sirius' ancestors on display. She had already explored the substantial and sparcely decorated room on more than a few occasions, but it was one place she always found intriguing. Surrounded by a rich tapestry which flowed from ceiling to floor on all walls and an extremely dusty chandelier with cobwebs dripping from its candleholders, the room must have been quite something at one time. She peered over the enormous family tree, fascinated.

Walking around looking at each ancient member of the Black family, Maddy wondered what they had been like in life. Once she got to Sirius' branch, the most recent design, she noticed the name Regulus first. Sirius' brother. _Reg, _she suddenly realized with surprise, wondering if the son in her vision might be named after this Black. She vaguely remembered the name Regulus Black from school, now that she thought about it, though he was several years older. Then she looked once more at Sirius above it. Where Regulus Arcturus had a handsome likeness just above his name and looked rather like his older brother, the image above _Sirius Black, 1959- _ , on the other hand, was only a charred black spot. Some other names on the tapestry had been given the same treatment, and Maddy wondered if this had anything to do with Sirius leaving the household as a teenager. She remembered that he had been sixteen when he had left. That would have made her ... ten. She thought about this for a minute. She'd had her first vision about him at the age of ten. Her next one was at fifteen, just a few days before he was sent to Azkaban. Which would have been the day Harry's parents had been murdered. The other visions ... well, she couldn't remember dates, but they were spread out through the twelve years he had spent in prison, then more frequent after his escape. She began to think of a connection with these events. Perhaps, whenever something traumatic was going on in Sirius' life, she would _see_ what appeared to be his future. Interesting thought. Maybe during his time in Azkaban, when she was having a vision, it meant that he had been abused in some way, or was ill. She shrugged to herself, thinking it would be a good idea to write these thoughts down and organize them. Anything which might help the _sight_ make more sense.

She turned to leave the room and jumped when she saw Sirius in the doorway, watching her. He smiled at her now. "Exploring, love?" he asked. "Didn't mean to frighten you."

"Oh, well, I hope you don't mind. I hadn't been in this room in a while. It's interesting. You weren't gone very long."

"I had a very good reason for wanting to return," he replied flirtatiously. Then he grimaced. "The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," he said mockingly, nodding toward the wall. "What a bunch of nutters ... all thought they were _most _special. I'm the last one standing with the name _Black_. And I love the irony in that."

"Well, you can start a whole new line of _nice_ Blacks," Maddy replied with a glint of humor. "Seeing as how you're the first nice one in quite some time. You could always get rid of this silly thing and start sewing your own tapestry." She grinned at him, amused by the image of Sirius doing embroidery.

"Oh, good idea," Sirius said, laughing and walking over to her. He hugged her hard and gave her a sweet, lingering kiss.

"What exactly happened to your brother?" Maddy asked eventually, pointing to Regulus. She realized she had never posed that question to him.

"Oh. He was a Death Eater. Went and got himself killed on Voldemort's orders several years ago. Did you know him at school?"

"No," she replied. "I've seen his name somewhere or other at Hogwarts, though. He was a bit older than myself."

"Yeah, we were less than two years apart. Dear old mum thought he was the good one."

"Well, she was wrong, wasn't she?" Maddy said, leaning against him as he put an arm around her. "_You_, my dear, are the good one." She smiled mischievously up at him, and he felt another intense wave of affection for her.

"Madeleine." He stated her name, then drew her even closer.

"Yes?" She sounded muffled, pressed against Sirius' chest.

"I want to take you somewhere."

"Oh! Where?"

"It's a surprise."

"Ah. And if I figure out where we are, do I get points for that?"

"You get a special pressie. In fact, I believe you can have _that_ before we leave. Go up to our room?" He looked down and kissed her once more.

"Mmmm. Absolutely," she replied, and they quickly apparated to his bedroom.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Quite some time later, they lay in the huge bed, exhausted from making love, and drowsily kissed each other.

"There's something I wanted to tell you," Sirius said softly, and felt his heart beat faster suddenly.

She lifted her head. "What's that?"

"I -" he began, but stopped abruptly.

Maddy raised her eyebrows in question. "You what?" She ran her fingers lightly across his jawbone, enjoying the rough feel of his short beard.

He looked desperately at her. "I love you. I – you make me so happy. You are beautiful, and sweet, and I am madly in love with you." He felt a sense of relief, but now was afraid he had said too much.

She gazed back at him in astonishment, then gave him a beautiful smile and leaned her mouth to his ear.

"I love _you_, Sirius."

"You do?"

"Yes. Do you want to know why?" She kissed his ear.

"I would really like to know that," he whispered fervently, transfixed by her.

I love the sound of your voice," she whispered back. "I love the way you decorate this bed, all sprawled out on it. I love ... hmm, what else? Your dark beautiful eyes." She pulled away from his ear and looked over his body. "_Really_ love the tattoos," Maddy continued, touching a few. "I love to hear you laugh ... I love the way you look at me when you want me. I love your wicked sense of humor. I love that you still think of your friend James and have never forgotten him. Sirius – " she stopped for a moment.

"What?" he asked, feeling ridiculously close to tears at her words.

"I can't believe you haven't been snapped up before now. I must be the luckiest woman in England."

He laughed suddenly, in spite of himself. "Well,_ I'm_ the lucky one. But you have ... _no_ idea how much it means for me to hear you say those things." He pulled her down on him and kissed her hungrily. It was quite some time before they left the room.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Later that day, they stood in gently falling snow. A huge gate swung open in front of them, and Sirius took Maddy's gloved hand, guiding her through it. "C'mon, darling. We should hurry before it gets dark," he said, nodding back to the guard, who closed the gate back behind them.

"We're at Hogwarts! Why? How on earth did you get us in? Surely Umbridge wouldn't allow it." She felt suddenly frightened, though not of Dolores Umbridge.

"Dumbledore's in charge, not Umbridge. And he gave me permission a long time ago for this."

They walked down the main path to the castle quickly, but then Sirius took a sudden detour through a smaller trail leading into the woods.

"Why are we out here, though?"

He took his time answering and pulled his own wand out for light in the dim forest. Then he stopped and turned to her. "We're going to look for your wand. I believe you dropped it one night. I want you to have it back." Then he leaned over and kissed her gently.


	14. Recovering a Wand

Maddy immediately felt a stab of fear as she looked around the dim and forbidding forest, and clutched Sirius' arm tightly. "I don't think- I can't-"

"Yes, you can. I'll be with you. I'd like to find your wand," Sirius said gently.

A gentle breeze wafted around them, as it had in Sirius' dream, though this time Maddy felt the chill with a vengeance.

"I really don't want to go there again. I haven't been back since – " She didn't finish, but stopped in her tracks.

Sirius put his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I won't let anything happen to you. The dementors are long gone. You will be fine, Madeleine ... I promise. Please don't worry." He looked down at her reassuringly, and touched her hair. "Alright?"

Maddy looked up at him apprehensively, and he smiled at her. She nodded reluctantly. He began to walk once more and led the way, though he took her gloved hand in his. Snow was still falling, obscuring the trail, but he seemed to know it by heart. They walked through the forest, cracking fallen branches and twigs under their feet as they trod along the path. After quite a long walk, they arrived at a clearing next to the lake. She looked around nervously, taking in their location.

"It's not the same place, is it?"

"This is where Harry was. You and I were over there." He pointed with his wand to a location several meters away on the shoreline. "Come on." He began to walk along the rocks and brush, holding her hand more tightly. She had no choice but to follow him, though her heart began to hammer faster as she recalled the dementors that had overtaken her here. She wasn't sure if Sirius really understood how agonizing that had been for her. But of course he would. He had been around more than a few dementors in _his_ past.

They reached the place where she had seen him in person for the first time, when he had been mostly unconscious. Sirius looked to see her reaction. A few birds twittered and chirped in the midst of the forest, and she heard the sound of squirrels rustling dead leaves on the forest floor, but other than that, all was quiet and peaceful. Maddy looked back at him as he continued to grip her hand. She didn't feel quite as frightened here in the daytime, as it was obvious there wasn't a dementor anywhere nearby. He let her take the place in for a moment, then put his arms around her again. "You alright, love?"

"Yeah," she answered, feeling more secure surrounded by his warmth.

He pulled away slightly, and said, "Let's look for your old wand. Maybe it's still here somewhere."

She slowly let go and looked around once more, while pulling out her newer wand at the same time.

"_Accio wand_," she said halfheartedly, expecting nothing to happen. There was only silence in answer. She began to repeat the spell, pointing her replacement wand in a slightly different direction. As she did, though, she heard a crackling noise, and looked up to see her old wand hurtling through the air like an arrow, bound for Sirius, who had moved in front of her.

"Duck!!" she yelled, and he moved quickly out of the way, falling down hard, as she caught the wand with a snap. Maddy flexed her gloved palm as it smarted and looked down at him on the ground. She began to laugh. "Sorry," she eventually said, sitting down next to him amid the powdery snow. His look of exasperation made her laugh even harder. "You were right," she added when it subsided. "Found it." She giggled again and held it up, but Sirius said nothing, though he grinned at her.

"What's the matter?" Maddy asked.

"Nothing at all," he answered, and, leaning over, kissed her softly on the lips. She opened her mouth in surprise, and he began to kiss her harder. She let both wands drop to the ground and put her hands on his face, kissing him back fervently. After a time, they stopped and looked at each other.

"I only just realized. The second time I _saw_ you, when I was fifteen. We were here ... now." She was breathless, recalling that moment.

"What happened next?" he asked. "Did we go back home and go straight to bed?" He looked mischievously at her and kissed her softly once more.

Maddy sighed. "Unfortunately it was over with much too quickly, and the next thing I knew I was being kissed very sloppily by some Ravenclaw."

Sirius laughed and picked up his wand, waving it over a dead log to dry it. Then he created a small fire and motioned for her to sit by him.

"Anything else you've seen about me that you'd like to divulge?"

Maddy's mood had eased considerably now, and she smiled as she took a seat. "Well ... since you ask, there is one thing we've yet to do, and I keep wondering about it."

"And what is that?"

"Shag like a couple of rabbits on the drawing room carpet."

"Oh! Saw _that_, did you?" He leered at her suggestively. "Well, let's get home so I can clean it immediately. I want it to be in good shape for _that_ particular activity."

She laughed. "It was very, um, _stimulating, _certainly. I've never been able to get that image out of my mind. But ... not to change the subject, I have a question."

She could see his breath turn to mist in the frosty air as he spoke. "Alright."

"I wrote you a letter, a long time ago. Did you never get it?"

He stared at her in confusion. "No. I don't remember that at all. When did you write it?"

"After I was released from St. Mungo's. Sometime last fall, anyway, not long after you had gotten your freedom."

"I'm sorry, darling. I never saw it. What did the letter say?"

"Everything about the night by the lake, Azkaban, et cetera. I figured you hadn't received it. And truthfully, it doesn't matter now. I hadn't thought about it in a long time, but for some reason, I remembered it recently."

He sighed. "I wish I had seen it anyway. Could've met you sooner." He rubbed her back as they sat together in the fading light.

Then Maddy thought of something else she had been meaning to talk about. "What are we going to do about William? I can't hide from him forever."

"We'll talk about it at the next Order meeting. Tonks has been trying to find out more about his whereabouts, but I'm sure she's told you he seems to hide very well, himself. I want you to be able to go freely, Madeleine. Don't think I don't know how you feel," he added, remembering the year after he had escaped from prison.

"We'll get rid of him," Sirius said with certainty. He put an arm around her once more and they were silent for a while.

Finally he stretched. "Ready to go back?"

"Yeah," Maddy answered, picking up her wands. They both rose, and Sirius put out the fire with his own wand before they walked away.

After following the shoreline for a few minutes, the couple found the path leading back to the main road, and traipsed over the snow and crunchy leaves until they arrived there. They continued to the huge gate, which opened automatically, and walked through it.

"Want to go into Hogsmeade for a few minutes?" Sirius asked. "I wouldn't mind having something at The Three Broomsticks before we head back."

Maddy nodded enthusiastically, thinking that a nice warm butterbeer next to the fire at Madame Rosmerta's would be wonderful. They continued walking along the path until the twinkling lights of Hogsmeade came into view. Sirius picked up his pace slightly when he saw them, and soon they were in the midst of the village.

Snow continued to fall as Sirius and Maddy strolled around the town, enjoying the mood and holding hands. Businesses had recently begun to decorate for Christmas, and the resulting effect was even more magical than usual. They paused at several shops and looked in the brightly lit windows.

"So, what do you want for Christmas?" Maddy asked Sirius while looking in the display window of a lingerie boutique. "I already have a few ideas, but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask, in case I'm way off base."

He looked speculatively at her. "There's nothing I need. I'd like anything that came from you."

Maddy snorted. "Typical man. There's _nothing_ you can think of?"

Sirius grinned slyly at her and said, "Well, since you asked ..." He leaned over and whispered something in her ear which made her cheeks turn very pink. Then he nodded his head toward the items on display in the window.

"I'll get right on that," she said, laughing. "Though you might prefer to pick out that sort of thing yourself."

"Let's go in, then," he answered, and quickly opened the door as the tinkly sound of bells announced their entrance.

Several minutes later, they exited the shop with a few large bags in hand.

"You do realize you'll have to wait for Christmas to see these again," Maddy commented innocently.

"Oh, no, my dear Madeleine, you'll have to model them for me to make sure they fit. Tonight, hopefully," he added with a salacious grin. "Ready to go to Rosmerta's?" She nodded, feeling hungry all of a sudden.

Luckily, being a weeknight, The Three Broomsticks wasn't filled to capacity, and they managed to claim a table close to the enormous fireplace. Madame Rosmerta noticed Sirius immediately and spoke animatedly to him at the bar as Maddy sat thawing by the fire, watching them. The older woman then reached over the bar, hugging Sirius hard, and handed him their drinks as she waved away the galleons he presented to her. She craned her neck to get a better look at Maddy as Sirius weaved among the tables on his way back to her.

He eased into a chair next to Maddy, handing her a butterbeer, then took a sip of his own firewhiskey. Maddy hadn't been here in quite a while, and commented that the place was exactly the same as she remembered from when she had taught at Hogwarts.

"Did you come here often when you taught at the school?" Sirius asked genially. He turned toward the fire, closing his eyes briefly and clearly enjoying the warmth.

"A fair amount. Usually with a few other teachers. I always liked Hogsmeade."

"So did I," Sirius said. "All of us used to sneak out through a passageway and come look at the view," he added, gesturing toward Madame Rosmerta and her voluptuous cleavage. "James seemed especially in awe of her ... assets."

Maddy snorted. "Well, so am I! I'm a bit jealous, actually." She grinned and took a sip of butterbeer and looked back at the pretty barmaid, then down at her own breasts which were considerably smaller.

"Don't be. I'm very impressed with yours. But you'll know that already." His eyes gleamed.

Rosmerta eventually wound her way over to the couple with more drinks and asked if they wanted anything to eat. Maddy was now quite hungry, and looked to Sirius to see if he wanted to stay. He nodded, so they ordered some dinner and sipped drinks while they waited.

"I hate to bring up an unpleasant topic once more," Sirius stated, "but what exactly was your relationship with your brother growing up? Did you get along?"

She considered his words. "I ... suppose. When we were younger, anyway. But he was sorted into Slytherin, once at Hogwarts. Big surprise. Somehow I wound up in Hufflepuff, though several of the friends I made were Gryffindor. I was very disappointed. But anyway, once we were both in school, we hardly ever spoke. During the summer holidays, he stayed with friends quite frequently, or ignored me when we were home together. Dad was very proud of him, aligning himself with the 'dark' families in Slytherin."

"Your father sounds like mine was," Sirius remarked. "Your mum must have been much more like you, I'd imagine."

"Yeah, I'd say she was. I always got the impression that she was unhappy with him. And who wouldn't be?" She snorted. "He was a real git. And quite nasty to her, at times. Not even counting what happened in my fifth year." Her voice trailed off slightly and she didn't bother to mention her mother's death and subsequent incarceration of her father in Azkaban.

At that point, fortunately, their food arrived, courtesy of Madame Rosmerta. "Well, Maddy, is it? I couldn't place you at first. Now I remember you ... from a few years back, yes? Coming in here with Remus and Madame Sinistra and – oh God – Kettleburn!" She snickered loudly at the memory and mimed the former hapless Care of Magical Creatures instructor, hopping around on one leg.

Maddy couldn't help but laugh at the image, though she felt slightly ashamed. Sirius grinned widely, himself.

"Alright, ladies, I'm stepping away to the loo. Try not to get into trouble while I'm gone, won't you?" He pushed back his chair and walked away as the two women watched him go.

"Alright, m'dear, spill it." Rosmerta immediately sat down in Sirius' abandoned chair. "When did you and Mr. _Handsome_ get together?"

Maddy laughed. "Hmm, it's been since September, I believe. So a few months."

"Well, I think you couldn't have done better. I remember dear Sirius from his time at school, _and_ after. I feel so badly for him, going through all that, for years. Poor darling. But he seems healed now, doesn't he?"

"I believe so," Maddy said. "He's really something, I think."

"You do?" Rosmerta asked with a speculative gleam in her eye. "Anything planned down the road with him?"

"Oh! Not at the moment. We're just enjoying being together."

Sirius chose that moment to return to the table, and Rosmerta rose from his chair, moving out of the way. "Just keeping it warm for you, Sirius," she said cheekily. "So, when are you going to make an honest woman out of Maddy here?"

Shocked, Maddy looked at her with deep embarrassment. Sirius' mouth hung open for a second, and then he said, "Oh, well, I don't know. Bit early to think of _that_, isn't it?"

He sat back in his chair and gave the barmaid a tight smile as Maddy looked down, examining her food with great interest. Rosmerta seemed completely unaffected by his response, and breezily declared, "Well, back to work, I suppose. Wonderful to see you both!"

"What _exactly_ did the two of you talk about in the two minutes I was gone?" he asked with a raised eyebrow once Rosmerta had moved back to her place behind the bar.

"Nothing," Maddy said indignantly. "It was a completely innocent conversation, I'll have you know. She only said how much she had missed you."

"You looked awfully embarrassed," he went on, now amused at her expression.

"I was, I guess. I had no idea she was going to come out with _that_."

He dropped the subject and began to eat. The remainder of the evening was spent discussing the Order, past and present, as Sirius reminisced about his friends. The presumed date of the next meeting was quietly brought up as well, and what they were to be discussing.

Once they had finished their meals, Sirius looked at his pocket watch and grimaced. "We should probably be getting back. I believe _you_ have some modeling to do."

He winked at her, then stood and looked over to Rosmerta as he held up some coins questioningly. She rolled her eyes and waved them away with a gesture from her hand. "Your galleons are no good here, Black!" she called out. "Wonderful to see you both again!"

Sirius and Maddy exited the pub with their belongings and ducked into a side street nearby.

"Ready, love?" he asked softly, putting his arms around her.

"Yes," she replied, wrapping hers around his neck. After a quick kiss, they were off.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

As it happened, the next Order meeting was called sooner than expected, and it was a large gathering. Several witches and wizards that Maddy hadn't seen in quite a while were present. Sirius started the meeting by going over topics discussed in the previous one, in order to catch up any members who hadn't been present then. Much of the conversation centered around protection of the prophecy, which Voldemort was well known to covet. After Sturgis Podmore's sentencing to Azkaban a few months prior while attempting to guard it, the question of protecting Order members who had that job was constantly discussed. Tonight was no exception, and as Arthur Weasley was intimately familiar with the location where the prophecy resided, he gave the first report.

Maddy sat next to Sirius, idly making marks with her quill on some parchment. She looked up as Hestia Jones began to speak, then glanced down at the paper again, having seen movement there, of all places.

_Yawn. When do we eat, M?_

The note was written in a code used by Gringotts goblins. They were a peculiar lot who forced all wizard employees to learn it, fanatical as they were about jealously guarding their clients' privacy. Maddy frowned at it. Sirius couldn't have written this. Then she remembered that a Gringotts employee was actually in attendance. Raising her eyes across the table, she saw a ghost of a smile on Bill Weasley's face. She put her quill on the paper and answered in the same code, though she was a bit rusty at it, then noticed it seeping on his own parchment a moment later.

_Dunno. Looks to be a long meeting. No end in sight, _she wrote.

_Someone is watching you, _was the response.

_Who? What?_

_Black sitting there next to you looks as though he'd be very happy to eat you alive._

She blushed slightly. Bill apparently wasn't aware of her relationship with Sirius. _Oh, that. We're going out. Well, as much as one can go out when one is in hiding from one's brother._

_Well, congratulations. He's looking pretty hungry to me. Good for you!_

Hestia paused in her speech for a moment. Bill and Maddy waited for her to start again before resuming their surreptitious communication.

_Whew. Thought we were caught. Might get a detention. Or called on the carpet, at least, _the words continued to flow on her parchment.

_How's Fleur?_

_Fine. On holiday with her parents in the Dordogne. I'm anxiously awaiting her return._

Maddy smiled slightly at this, then stole a look over at Sirius, who was watching her very curiously. He raised an eyebrow, as if to ask, _What _exactly_ are you doing? _She smiled innocently at him.

_Earth to Maddy. Blimey, you must be keeping him satisfied. Wouldn't surprise me if he jumped on the table right over Tonks and Mum to get to you._

_Oh, be quiet and stop torturing me. I'm actually trying to pay attention now._

_I'm mentally chuckling. Well, how convenient, your living arrangements. I wish Fleur would be hunted down by an evil brother so she could move in with me._

She snickered and gave Bill one last look, then put her quill down and listened to the remainder of Hestia's report. She noticed Severus come sidling in through the doorway, though he didn't sit at the table. Instead, he stood next to the door listening to the raven-haired witch's report, and had already managed to look bored.

Kingsley took the floor at that time on behalf of Tonks, who wasn't present, and now the conversation centered around Maddy, and whatever progress had been made in attempting to find her brother. Apparently not much _had_, as it turned out. She was embarrassed at being the center of attention as the other wizards glanced over at her periodically during Kingsley's speech. Then she felt pressure against her foot under the table, and looked over at Sirius, who smiled reassuringly at her. His foot covered her own briefly, then he removed it.

Kingsley went on. "Unfortunately, O'Hannon has proved to be rather slippery. Hasn't been seen in quite some time, nor has his wife," he said mildly, "but Tonks and I are still pursuing leads close to Voldemort, hoping he'll show himself eventually to him."

Thankfully, Kingsley mopped things up rather quickly after that, ending his report. Once the meeting was over, everyone stood and stretched, and Maddy stole a look in Sirius' direction to see him speaking to Remus. He glanced back at her once more, noticing her staring at him, and smiled at her. She gathered her parchment and quill to put away.

"Madeleine, darlin', I believe I missed a few things in the meeting. Mind if I have a quick look at your notes?"

She looked up to see Sirius now standing next to her with a very amused expression. "It appeared that you must have caught everything being said, the way you were scribbling. May I?"

He managed to put a palm on her cheek, touching her rather sensually in front of the others, and he didn't seem to care what they thought.

"Of course," she answered, feeling very warm all of a sudden. "There you go. Just a few comments I made." She handed him the parchment as Bill watched them in amusement. Sirius took it and looked at it closely, then handed it back to her.

"Care to translate? I can't understand it." Sirius' eyes gleamed, and he raised his eyebrows to indicate he didn't believe her explanation one bit.

"Oh yeah. Well, here's the bit where Kingsley was talking about, ah, problems in the Ministry with regard to ... something or other, and ..." Her voice trailed off, and Sirius' mischievous grin was evident now.

He leaned in close to her. "Passing notes with Weasley, are you? Sounds like something I need to try at the next meeting. _ I _wouldn't bother writing about Kingsley's talk, though," he murmured, and kissed her on the cheek. A few more people looked curiously in their direction, but he ignored them.

"I am very interested in getting you straight to bed," he continued softly in Maddy's ear. She could see Molly Weasley's frown of disapproval from across the room. "In fact, I expect you to try on those things we bought the other day once more; I need to make sure they still fit and all."

Bill coughed apologetically, and Sirius finally broke away from Maddy. "Ah, young lovers," he sighed. "Makes me miss my own girlfriend that much more." He looked significantly at Sirius with a smile to indicate that nothing amiss had taken place between himself and Maddy earlier.

"Well, I hope she comes back to you very soon," Sirius answered, feeling increasingly amorous despite the present company. He held tightly on to Maddy.

When he let go, Maddy turned toward the door where Snape had been. He was speaking quietly now with Kingsley, though he glanced in her direction and nodded slightly. Sirius turned his head to see what she was looking at, and glowered when he saw Snape.

He hadn't forgotten his debt to the other man, and any time he thought about it, it chafed him mightily. Snape hadn't really mentioned it, surprisingly, though he usually managed a very nasty smile whenever he came across Black, letting the incident hang in the air unspoken.

"Guess I'd better help Molly with supper," Maddy said in a low voice. She had been hoping that everyone would go away immediately after the meeting, but apparently _that _wasn't going to happen. She left Sirius to join Molly, who was peeling potatoes via her wand. The older woman had no shortage of jobs to offer to Maddy in preparation for the meal, and set her to chopping vegetables that were to go in a huge pot of soup.

"Maddy," Molly said in a conversational tone, "do you really think it's appropriate for you and Sirius to be so ... _affectionate_ in front of the other Order members?"

Maddy silently took a deep breath. "I really don't see what the problem is, Molly. He only kissed me on the cheek." She had counted on the older woman making some sort of comment about that, but it still irritated her.

Molly shrugged and said nothing more, and Maddy felt slightly vindicated when Arthur came up to his wife and gave her a peck on the cheek. She pointedly raised an eyebrow in Molly's direction, and the other woman pinched her lips slightly but kept her mouth shut.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Fortunately, some people, including Snape, did leave before dinner, and it was over fairly quickly. Sirius practically inhaled his soup in his haste to be done with it, and took Maddy's hand.

"Ready to go upstairs?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Lock up whenever you're done down here, won't you?" he said, grinning, to the remaining crowd.

Most of them were looking at the couple with amusement, aside from Molly. They all voiced their goodnights, and he led Maddy up the myriad flights of stairs until they reached the bedroom they shared.


	15. Three New Revelations

"_I _think it's perfect. Was this in that vision you had?" Sirius stood, looking very satisfied, in front of an enormous Christmas tree which he had just positioned in the corner of the drawing room. He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"I don't know," Maddy replied with a teasing lilt in her voice. "I wasn't paying much attention to our surroundings."

He snickered. "So. What should we add to it?" They both observed the tree, standing lonely and bare in the corner.

"Well, lights of course," she replied, and with a wave of his wand, tiny candles dotted it, gleaming brightly.

Sirius moved behind her, putting his arms around her waist. She rested her head against his shoulder. "What else?" he asked softly.

"Ornaments," Maddy suggested. He took her hand and put it on the wand with his own, then casually flicked it again. The tree was now covered in richly colored decorations.

"Anything else?"

"Hmmm. Some kind of tree topper. An angel, perhaps?" She frowned in concentration and was immediately distracted by Sirius' free hand, which had moved up to her breast.

"I'm trying to decorate here, Black," she said, trying to sound stern.

"Oh yes. Well, I hate to interfere with your thought processes," Sirius teased, not moving his hand away whatsoever. "I prefer something more interesting on _top_," he added slyly. "How about a ... skiing Father Christmas?"

She squinted thoughtfully at the highest branch and raised an eyebrow. "I'm having trouble picturing that. Why is he skiing?"

"I don't know. Perhaps he's just very athletic," he said with a grin.

"Alpine or cross-country?"

"Oh, both, why not?" Sirius answered, laughing.

He took his hand, which still covered hers, and waved the wand once more. Maddy could feel the slight vibration as magic emanated from it. Snow began to fall lightly over the tree, and a jolly Father Christmas was, in fact, skiing down and around the branches before returning to his perch at the top temporarily. Then he repeated the movement, bellowing a merry "Ho ho ho!"

Maddy snorted with amusement. "What talent. Oh, tree skirt," she reminded Sirius. Their hands, and the wand, moved once more. Now a dark green velvet fabric surrounded the base of the tree.

"It's lovely," Maddy said. "You did very well."

"Not _quite_ finished," Sirius murmured. He flicked the wand one last time, and out of the corner of her eye, Maddy saw something overhead that was inching downward. She looked up to see the entire ceiling covered in mistletoe.

"I had to take extra precautions in _this_ particular room, knowing what we know about it. Hence such a large amount of the stuff. Anytime we're in here, the rule is ... lots of kissing. Et cetera."

"Mmmm," she murmured. "Et cetera is always good."

His hand touched her breast more firmly while the wand in his other hand clattered to the floor. Then he took her other breast and caressed it softly before moving his hands down to encircle her waist. His lips found their way to her neck, and he covered it in slow and velvety soft kisses, making her shiver with delight.

"Now, this only applies to me. I won't have you coming in here snogging Remus or Kreacher ... or Tonks or somebody. Understand?" he whispered.

"Oh, alright. I was rather hoping to get my first kiss under the mistletoe from a house elf, though," Maddy said playfully. "But I suppose _you'll_ do." She backed up more closely against him, feeling his hardness.

He turned her around. "Ready to put it to good use?" Now his lips hovered next to hers tantalizingly.

She began to answer, but was interrupted by her second kiss under the mistletoe, and before long, the immensely satisfying fulfillment of a vision.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

As Christmas approached, Order members still came and went periodically on business. Remus and Tonks spent more time there than any of the others, although most of their visits there were of a more personal nature. The two couples typically went out, apparating to other towns for the evening, or had dinner in the dining room at Grimmauld Place. One evening in mid December, they had stuffed themselves full of roast beef and potatoes and had moved into the infamous drawing room, which made Remus smile every time he saw the mistletoe hanging down from the ceiling. Sirius and Maddy sat one sofa, with Remus and Tonks sitting across from them, and eventually the topic gravitated to old flames.

"So, Maddy," Remus said genially after describing a particularly lousy date he had been on years before, "what's your story?"

She laughed. "I don't have much of a_ story._ I've had maybe two serious relationships in the past. One was this bloke who worked at Gringotts with me."

Sirius looked at her in surprise, and suddenly realized that they had never had a conversation about past lovers. It occurred to him that all the years he assumed that Madeleine had been pining away for him while he was in prison, she was actually out having a life. He felt a stab of jealousy which he immediately attempted to push away.

"Who was it?" he asked curiously. "Bill?"

"Nah. Bill's somewhat younger than I am. He knew this guy, though. Eric Smallwood. He was another curse breaker; he actually trained us both. Spoke fluent Goblin. Turned out to be just about as nice as the Goblins." She shot them a crooked grin.

"What'd he do?" Tonks asked.

"Oh. Well, we just got to the point of arguing all the time over petty things. Wasn't much fun anymore. It wasn't any _one_ thing. In the end, I was constantly reminded that he was very eligible and I was replaceable. So I finally decided to let him replace me." She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "The other one was a bit more amicable when it ended. Nothing interesting there." She wasn't about to tell Sirius that, in a way, _he_ was the reason for that split, which had occurred only a few months before her visit to Azkaban.

"I remember the name Smallwood from Hogwarts. What house was he?" Remus asked with interest.

"Well, if you must know, he was in Slytherin. I never knew him at school, though." Maddy said, smiling.

Sirius groaned. "You dated a _Slytherin_? Have you no better taste than that?"

"You tell me!" she retorted.

"Well, I'll just say it's improved dramatically over the years," he volleyed back with a twinkle in his eye.

"Ahem," Remus interrupted. "Maddy, I believe you're holding out on us."

Maddy was confused. "What do you mean?"

"I have it on good authority that you went out with someone else the year before I came to Hogwarts."

She thought for a moment and laughed. "Oh, God. _That _guy doesn't count! How did you hear about that?"

"Oh, it made the rounds in the staff room. For several months," Remus said airily.

"Yeah, because, to use the muggle phrase, I took a bullet for all the other ladies who taught there!" Maddy shot back, snorting.

"And some of the guys, I'd imagine," Remus said mildly, but his eyes gleamed with wicked humor.

Sirius and Tonks exchanged glances. "Well, who was it?" Sirius asked impatiently.

Maddy grinned. "Someone, er, _famous_. I was the envy of every girl at Hogwarts. Well, that's what _he_ said, anyway," she added wryly.

"Are you going to tell us or not?" Tonks interrupted.

"Gilderoy Lockhart," she admitted with a sigh.

Sirius burst out laughing. "Lockhart?? That git who penned such masterpieces as _Year with the Yeti_?"

"The same. Read it, have you? He gave me an autographed copy of _Magical Me_. Then he tried to charge me for it. _Then_ I had to pay for dinner at stupid Madame Puddifoot's, because he somehow forgot to bring any galleons. Not to mention I was forced to listen to a detailed year-by-year account of his entire life as he signed autographs while we ate. Worst date I've _ever_ been on."

"And you went out with him ... _why_?" Sirius said, smirking.

"To stop him bugging me about going out with him," countered Maddy. "Well, what about you?" she asked, thinking that it was past time for a shift in topic.

"What _about_ me?"

"No juicy stories about ex-girlfriends in your past?"

"Nothing of import," he answered with a shrug. "I went out with various girls, before." He didn't need to clarify, _before Azkaban_. "And a few, after." He didn't seem to want to talk about it, so Maddy didn't press him.

The conversation shifted away from exes and soon Remus and Sirius were discussing a project for the Order which would require them to leave early the following morning. Tonks and Remus planned on staying the night at Grimmauld Place as a result. Finally Remus noted the late hour, and everyone rose and stretched. Remus and Sirius led the way out of the drawing room, with Tonks and Maddy behind them. Tonks yanked softly on Maddy's jumper, and when Maddy turned around, motioned for her to stay behind for a moment.

"Up for doing something interesting tomorrow morning once they're gone?" Tonks whispered with a broad grin. She looked down the hall, but there was only Kreacher, who was moving wheezily past them along the carpet, toting something heavy.

"What's that?" Maddy answered.

"I've been dying to go ice skating. Maybe we can invade a rink somewhere in London early in the morning. What do you think?"

"Sounds good!" Maddy answered. "What time?"

"Oh, just get up whenever Sirius does and we'll plan on leaving just after they apparate. Don't say anything, though. I'm sure those two old ladies would worry." She nodded in the direction that the men had gone.

"You'll be fine," Tonks added reassuringly, in case Maddy was worried about running into anyone questionable. "All the death eaters will be snug in their beds with visions of Voldemort dancing in their little heads. And we've got _wands_, after all."

Maddy laughed, and a voice echoed from down the hall, "Are you two coming or _not_?"

"Probably," Tonks whispered ribaldly, "if my past experience with Remus is any indication."

"Ooh! You're bad!" Maddy said, chuckling, and walked out of the room. The men waiting down the hall looked at Maddy and Tonks suspiciously, and received only innocent smiles from both.

Later, Sirius and Maddy lay in bed together, very close to each other and half asleep after making love. They were silent for a while, each content to merely caress the other's body lazily. Finally Sirius spoke.

"I had a girlfriend, before Azkaban. Her name was Karen. I've no idea what became of her."

Maddy wasn't expecting to revisit this subject, and didn't know what to say. Sirius was quiet now, though, so she spoke anyway.

"How long?"

"Two years."

"Did you love her?"

"I suppose. Seems a lifetime ago now, and hard to remember. We thought of getting married, though I don't remember particularly wanting that. But suddenly James and Lily died, and my life went to pieces. But it's back together now," he added, sensing that he was growing a bit maudlin.

"Well, I should hope so," Maddy said with humor. She touched his face tenderly. "You're way overdue for a lot of good things to happen."

"They are already," he replied. "I love you, Madeleine." He leaned over to kiss her tenderly.

"And I love you."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Early the next morning, Sirius got out of bed with a yawn, and threw on some clothes. He dressed quickly and leaned over Maddy.

"I need to go. Behave, won't you?" he whispered, kissing her while gazing longingly at her naked body.

Maddy sat up. "Where exactly are you going, anyway?" she asked sleepily. "You never said, last night."

"No place special; just Order business. We'll talk about it later. Love you." And with that, he left the room.

She laid back on the bed for a few minutes, thinking about her own impending excursion. If they could find a suitable place, ice skating at six in the morning would be, well, _interesting_, at least. Something different to do and a temporary escape from the house.

As she thought about this, she heard a firm rap at the door.

"Oi! Maddy! Out of bed!" called an imperious voice from the other side.

Maddy reluctantly obeyed. She could still feel the warmth from where Sirius had lain, and was disinclined to leave the cozy confines of the goose down comforter.

"Maddy?" Tonks asked, more impatiently now.

"Coming," Maddy grumbled.

She gathered a robe around her and answered the door to see Tonks standing there, completely dressed, with long sleek black hair. Tonks noticed her surprised look.

"Thought it was time for a change. What do you think?"

"Nice look for you," answered Maddy. "I'll be getting ready." She gestured in the direction of clothes hanging over an elegant chaise.

Tonks nodded. "I'll wait on you at the landing."

Maddy shut the door and dressed quickly, then tried to comb her hair into submission, but gave up and used a charm instead to smooth it. Then she hurried out the door and down the hallway where Tonks stood waiting, pulling her coat on as she walked.

The other witch didn't waste any time, but held out an arm. "Side-along. Let's go."

They noticed Kreacher skulking around once more, toting his sack of unknown substances, and eyed him warily. He didn't appear to notice them, though, but went about his business, muttering softly.

Maddy took Tonks' arm and waited for the inevitable feeling of being squeezed tightly through a tube. Once they were gone, though, it was only a matter of seconds before they arrived at their destination. She looked around. Only a few lights were on in the place, just enough to illuminate the ice rink.

"Where are we?" she asked Tonks, who had magically produced two pairs of skates. Her voice echoed throughout the huge space.

"Queens Ice and Bowl," Tonks replied succinctly, "Bayswater." She handed Maddy a pair of skates. "Here. These should fit you. Try 'em on."

"Thanks." Maddy took her shoes off and pulled on a skate. As they laced up, Tonks spoke again.

"So. You and Sirius. How's that going?"

"Great," Maddy said, smiling. "Better than great, actually. And you?"

"Frustrating," Tonks replied bluntly. "It's the whole werewolf thing."

"You already knew that, though, right?"

"Oh, it's not me. It's _him_. He's all worried that his prospects are too dim for him to be good enough for me. Git. Men can be so obtuse."

"Can't argue with that," Maddy said. She was having trouble tying her laces and had to start over.

"Where do you see the two of you this time next year?" Tonks asked affably. "Not meaning to pry, of course. Think you might be married?"

"Oh God. I hadn't thought that far ahead. I've just been having a good time with him. He seems ... well, too _normal_ for someone who's been through all he has. I never would've expected that. Of course, he's such a strong person, but still. I have seen us married, though."

"Pull the other one!" Tonks looked very impressed. "What happened?"

Maddy told her of the vision with herself pregnant, kissing Sirius as they watched a small boy play.

"Wish I had that ability. I'll trade you the metamorphmagus for it."

Maddy snorted. "It's a deal. Mine's not much to brag about, to be honest. I'm none too confident that it'll come true."

Tonks had finished with her skates. "Why not? The man seems madly in love with you."

"Dunno. I just don't trust it that much. And he gets a bit cranky anytime the subject is broached. It's never _me_ bringing it up, either."

Maddy looked around the rink for any signs of life. "Are you sure no one's going to show up?"

Tonks stood up and wobbled a bit on her skates as she walked over to the gate. "They don't get here until about nine. We've got a few hours. Don't ask me how I know this."

She shot Maddy an evil grin and stepped onto the ice. Maddy followed her gingerly, and promptly fell on her bottom. Cursing under her breath, she managed to stand in time to see Tonks pirouetting around the rink gracefully. Surprised that the rather clumsy witch was so fluid while skating, Maddy couldn't help but watch her elegant moves.

"Has Remus seen you do this?" she called out.

"Nope. We haven't made it to this place yet," Tonks answered. She skirted the diameter of the rink and came back to the middle. "Want some music?"

"Sure," Maddy said, slowly moving her feet across the ice, though she overcompensated by waving her arms around, trying to keep her balance.

Meanwhile, Tonks pulled out her wand and waved it in the direction of the overhead speakers. At first it sounded rather eerie, not like music at all. Maddy looked questioningly at Tonks, who grinned again.

"It'll start up soon," she said, with no further explanation.

The obscure sounds went on for several more seconds, when, out of nowhere, Electric Light Orchestra blasted all around them. It was a fast song that Maddy vaguely recalled from somewhere, probably about the time she started at Hogwarts. Tonks immediately speeded up in time to the music, and Maddy scooted carefully over to a rail to watch a fully fledged routine, astonished at the other woman's ability.

When the song was over, Maddy clapped wildly as Tonks skated over to her. "You were amazing! I've heard that song before. What was it?"

"_Shine a Little Love_. Pumps you up, doesn't it?" Tonks grinned and wiped her brow with a sleeve.

"When did you learn to do this?"

"Oh, I've skated since I was a kid. Dad used to take me all the time. Doesn't hurt to be a witch, either," Tonks added with a wink. "Makes the learning process a bit easier."

"Well, apparently that doesn't apply to me! Unless skating on your bum counts for something. That's where I keep winding up."

"Aw, you'll get the hang of it," Tonks said confidently. "Come out here and I'll give you some pointers." She motioned for Maddy to follow her.

Maddy was none to eager to leave the security of the rail, but finally sighed and let go. Shuffling out to the center, she managed to keep her balance as Tonks explained a few basics. As she did, however, she heard a slight noise and suddenly felt as though they were being watched. She looked around cautiously but saw nothing. Tonks noticed her hesitation.

"What?"

"Thought somebody was there. Oh well – just imagining things, I guess."

She turned back to Tonks, who had suddenly drawn her wand. The other witch grabbed her by the arm, and in a split second, they disappeared. In the next moment, they re-materialized, crouching in the shadows off the ice. Maddy pulled out her own wand now, waving it to replace the skates for her previous shoes. Tonks did the same, and they sat in near darkness, hidden, for a few minutes.

Someone was moving quietly around the other side of the rink, but from their vantage point, they only made out an indistinct shape. A tall person, it seemed, holding a wand before them. Tonks and Maddy were completely silent as they tried to get a better look.

The person stopped, now slightly illuminated by one of the few lights that were lit, and Maddy drew in a breath when she realized who it was.

Suddenly, a burst of red light streamed across the room, but Maddy ducked in time to avoid it. Tonks hurled a spell back, and the assailant howled in pain. She didn't waste any time, but fired another one before the wizard in the shadows could retaliate. Tucking Maddy's arm in her own once more, the two witches disapparated, and were soon in the alleyway off Grimmauld Place.

"C'mon," Tonks muttered, yanking on Maddy's arm. They walked at a brisk pace until they arrived at the house, and Tonks tapped her foot impatiently while waiting for it to show itself. Then she barged through the door with Maddy in tow. Once she had closed it behind them, she turned to Maddy and grinned.

"Well, that was exciting, wasn't it? Didn't last very long, though," Tonks said brightly.

Maddy looked wearily at her. "I was dead useless," she muttered.

"Aw, shut it. You've never fought before. You did fine. Was that who I think it was?"

"Yeah. My brother. I'd like to know how he found us. You think maybe Kreacher -?"

A voice interrupted from upstairs. "Madeleine? Where've you been?"

"So do we tell the truth?" Tonks asked in a low voice.

Maddy nodded. "I don't want to lie to him."

She began to trudge up the stairs, and Sirius appeared at the landing outside their bedroom looking down at her.

"Where've you been?" he repeated, looking concerned. "I didn't know you were planning on going anywhere."

Maddy reached the top step and hugged him fiercely. "Ice skating," she said, her voice muffled from the tight embrace. Then he loosened his hold and looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"_Ice skating_?" he repeated incredulously.

"Yeah, Tonks is awfully good. You should've seen her. But then we had company."

Sirius looked warily up at Tonks. "What do you mean?"

Tonks shifted uncomfortably. "Maddy's brother figured out where we were. He fired off a curse, but it missed us."

Sirius' eyes got wider. "Really?" he asked flatly, indicating no small amount of disapproval.

"Tonks got him a few times, and then we apparated out of there," Maddy tried to explain.

Tonks met Sirius' eyes steadily. "Maddy _can_ go out of the house with other people, right?" she said, adopting Remus' mild tone, but there was a slight edge to her words.

"Of course. But how about, in future, one of you at least tell me or Remus where you're going, then," Sirius answered, not averting his gaze from the auror's as he held Maddy.

"Done. Now, where's the wolf, anyway?" Tonks looked around for Remus.

Sirius finally let go of Maddy. "He's in the kitchen, eating. Now go forth and leave us," he added, finally smiling at her.

Tonks got the hint. "Gotcha. See you later, Mad, Sirius. Have fun," she added in a sing songy voice as she headed down the stairs.


	16. An Unexpected Letter

"Well," Sirius began, once Tonks had headed off to the kitchen, "Are you sure that was your brother? I'd like to know how he guessed you'd be in _that _location."

Maddy shrugged. "No idea. Tonks didn't say anything about it until just before bed last night. Kreacher was around, though. _And _this morning, though I think she didn't say exactly where we were going for him to give any details out, other than just ice skating."

"Nah. Couldn't be Kreacher. She must've blabbed to somebody," he said, staring at her and wrinkling his brow, "unless you've legilimens in your family as well." He was only half-joking, but he knew _that_ wasn't really a possible solution.

Maddy had ignored his last comment, though, while thinking. "Who could Kreacher tell, though? He wouldn't have had much time, anyway."

"Nobody," Sirius said firmly. "There's definitely another explanation. Your _brother_, on the other hand ... You mind telling me how he made a Death Eater? Looks like Voldemort could do better. He doesn't sound terribly bright."

"He's not. Probably a low-level lackey. Walking around in full view in that rink. I'm surprised Tonks didn't hurt him worse," Maddy said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure she could've if she was trying hard enough."

"Well, she should have gotten you out of there straightaway," he said reprovingly, "rather than engage in a dual with some substandard wizard."

"Let's get something to eat," Maddy suggested, after hearing her stomach growl menacingly. Then she continued her previous train of thought as they walked toward the stairs.

"I need to do better, myself, with the defensive spells. I sat there, doing nothing, and before I knew it, it was over. I feel really stupid about it."

Sirius stopped. "Well, don't. But it certainly wouldn't hurt to practice them. Maybe downstairs in the tapestry room? Maybe one of us will set fire to it if we're lucky." He grinned and kissed her, then led her down the steps with a hand on the small of her back.

Later that day, Tonks and Remus left to go Christmas shopping, asking Maddy and Sirius to join them. Sirius declined, deciding they would go at a later time. He thought Remus and Tonks might prefer some time alone, in any case. The other couple had already decided to stay at Tonks' flat for the evening. So Sirius and Maddy spent the rest of the day hanging around Grimmauld Place, sipping wine and putting up additional decorations in an effort to make the house more inviting and not as bleak as usual.

That evening, they sat together on a sofa in the drawing room, looking at the twinkling Christmas tree. Sirius spoke fondly of his days spent living with the Potters, and their holiday traditions, which were far superior to his own family's. Maddy's recollections were only marginally better, which were purely because of her mother's efforts.

"Well," Sirius said tentatively, "I could do this every year. Start a new tradition this Christmas and then continue it."

"What tradition?" Maddy asked, unsure of what he meant.

"Spending Christmas with you, and Harry. Decorate like mad. Not _this_ place, though. Next year it will be somewhere different. A big, beautiful house, maybe somewhere else. I could do without living in London. I want to be somewhere quiet."

She smiled at him, pleasantly surprised that he was thinking so far ahead about life with her. "I think it sounds wonderful."

Eventually they set off for bed, after resolving to go Christmas shopping the next day.

"What are you reading?" Sirius asked once they were ensconced in the bed with her lamp dimly lit. Maddy showed him the cover of the battered paperback.

"_Pride and Prejudice,_" he commented. "Who wrote that?"

"Only one of the most famous muggle writers out there," Maddy said, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation. "Jane Austen! It's good. You should read it."

"Sounds like mouldy old chick lit to me," he answered. "I prefer a good motorcycle maintenance guide myself."

"Oh, how very interesting," she replied flatly, then flipped a page in her book. "You remind me very much of Mr. Darcy, actually."

"Does he own a motorcycle?" he teased.

"Nah. Before their time. He was the spectacularly handsome guy that Elizabeth Bennett wound up with in the book. They've made it into a mini series, but as you don't have a television in this place, unfortunately I missed it. An equally spectacularly handsome muggle named Colin Firth played him." She closed her eyes dreamily.

"Oh, so you think I'm spectacularly handsome? I shall have to read it, after all."

"Well, he was actually a bit of a prick at first, but he got nicer," Maddy said, trying very hard not to laugh.

"Just what are you trying to say?" Sirius asked, putting out the lamp and crawling on top of her. "That I'm not nice? I'll have you know I can be _very_ nice to you. See?"

"Oh, of course you are. Mmm, especially now. Oh God, don't stop."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"What's that noise?" Maddy murmured, lifting her head off the pillow.

"Mmmmph?" came a sleepy muffled response from Sirius, whose head was buried in his own pillow.

"I thought I heard someone," she said, leaning up on an elbow and listening for additional noises. She picked up her watch off the bedside table and put on the lamp. 2:05 am.

Sirius sat up and stretched. At first it was quiet, but then came the faint sound of a voice calling out, as if from far away. He pulled the covers back and slung himself out of bed, grabbing a pair of jeans. Once he had put them on, he went to the door, saying over his shoulder, "I'll be right back."

Maddy sat there in the dark for a few minutes, but heard nothing more. Finally, she decided to go see what had happened. She shrugged on a robe, tying it tightly around her, and looked out into the hallway. By the time she got to the stairs, however, Sirius was striding back up hurriedly.

"That was Phineas' portrait. Arthur Weasley's been attacked," he said, speaking quickly. "His family and Harry are on the way. You'd better put some clothes on," he added unnecessarily, noticing her robe.

"Oh, God! What happened?"

"Dunno any details just yet. He was in the Department of Mysteries, though, guarding the prophecy. They've taken him to St. Mungo's."

Sirius went back into the bedroom, scouting around for his shirt from the previous day. Once he found it, he buttoned it and turned back to Maddy, who had already taken her robe off and was replacing it with jeans and a jumper.

"Would you mind getting the other bedrooms ready?"

"Yeah, sure," she said, grabbing her wand from the bedside table.

She bounded down the stairs to the level below and peeked into one of the bedrooms. Waving her wand at it, she put things in order and moved on to the room next door. After taking care of the all of them, Maddy heard more voices and assumed they must be coming from the kitchen. She traipsed down the remaining flights stairs quietly enough not to wake Mrs. Black's portrait, and went into the kitchen, where Sirius stood hugging Harry. The Weasley children were gathered around them, looking very drawn and anxious. When they noticed Maddy standing in the doorway, they looked curiously at her.

"Hi, guys," Maddy said softly.

She had no idea what condition Arthur Weasley was in, but was afraid to ask at the moment. Fred and Ginny nodded mutely in acknowledgement, though George and Ron ignored her greeting. They pulled out a few chairs at the table and slumped down in them.

Ginny looked earnestly at Sirius and spoke with urgency. "We've got to go to St. Mungo's. Sirius, can you lend us cloaks or anything?"

"Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!" he exclaimed.

The kids all chimed in at once, arguing bitterly with him about the Order, its risks and consequences, and how they were of the unswerving opinion that visiting their injured father took precedence over all that. Suddenly Maddy was thrust into the fray.

"Yeah, I don't see you two risking your necks!" George blurted out to Sirius. "What do you do here, anyway? Shag _her _all day? And what does _she_ do? Must be awfully nice to be in the _Order_!"

He nodded curtly in Maddy's direction and ignored her look of shock. Meanwhile, Sirius looked as though he had been slapped. With considerable effort, he kept his voice low and controlled as he glared at George.

"What my girlfriend and I do is _our_ business. And what _we_ do within the Order is the Order's business, _not _yours, as you are not _in_ the Order. You'll not talk about Madeleine like that. Now," he went on, taking a deep breath. "We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?"

George looked down angrily at the table, but only shrugged. Sirius then used his wand to summon some dusty bottles of Butterbeer, and the kids began to drink it. It didn't escape Maddy's notice that Harry seemed even more preoccupied than the others. She wondered if Sirius knew what was going on with his godson, and resolved to ask him when she got the chance.

Fortunately, a message from Molly Weasley arrived just then, courtesy of Fawkes. George read it aloud enthusiastically.

_'Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St Mungo's now. Stay where you are. I will send news as soon as I can. Mum.'_

His face fell when he finished the note, and he was silent. An unspoken question remained: was Arthur Weasley going to survive? The kids sat in silence around the table, disconsolate, as Sirius and Maddy looked helplessly at each other. She went over to him and they spoke quietly for a while, letting the kids get whatever rest they could manage. The minutes and hours crept by.

Finally Molly Weasley arrived, just after five in the morning, and everyone perked up considerably with her news. It appeared that Arthur would be alright, after all, though his healing might be slow going. Sirius immediately suggested breakfast, enlisting Maddy to help him with preparations. Now their conversation was much more upbeat as they finished up bacon and eggs, and he smiled broadly at her. Harry came up to them, wanting to help, but had no more done so when Molly walked over and gathered him in a big hug. After speaking to him for a moment, she turned her attention to Sirius and Maddy, thanking them both for watching the children for so long.

"Well, you and your family must stay here as long as he's in hospital," Sirius offered. "This will be much more convenient for you."

Molly thanked him again, profusely, and patted Maddy's back in passing. She found an apron and began to help them fix breakfast.

"Sit down, Molly. You must be exhausted! I'll take care of this," Maddy said. She noticed Harry sidle up to Sirius, whispering to him. They both exited the room for the pantry as Maddy looked after them.

"Nonsense," Molly was saying. "I'm happy to help."

The two women finished up preparations, and soon everyone was eating with renewed enthusiasm. Maddy rubbed her own eyes and began to eat, standing at the counter. Sirius emerged from the pantry with an inscrutable expression on his face, followed by Harry, who looked considerably more downcast. He came back to stand beside her, but gave no indication of the nature of his talk with Harry.

After the kids had eaten, they felt refreshed and optimistic enough to get some sleep, even if it was only for a few more hours. They traipsed up the stairs to the rooms they had occupied back in the summer, followed by Sirius.

Maddy was now alone with Molly. The older woman eased herself into a chair at the table, putting her head in her hands as she rubbed her temples.

"Molly, are you alright? Let me get you something to eat," Maddy said worriedly.

"No, dear, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." The other woman sighed with fatigue.

Maddy shook her head. "No, you really should eat something. Won't take but a minute." She made bacon and eggs with toast and put the plate in front of Molly, who immediately scarfed the whole thing, despite her earlier protests.

Maddy pulled out a chair, sitting down next to Molly, though she didn't say anything at first. Once Molly had finished with her breakfast, she sat in quiet contemplation, almost as if she had forgotten Maddy was there. But then she finally spoke.

"Arthur's resting now. They gave him a sleeping draught, and expect to be able to move him later this morning. Wizard healers move quickly, don't they?" She managed a tight smile and glanced toward Maddy, who sat quietly, watching her.

"You know, Arthur and I were fully aware of the dangers when we joined the Order. But-" she shook her head slightly and sighed, "you just can't imagine the hazards, really. It has to happen to you before it's _real_. I suppose I'm stating the obvious. But it really brought home to me ... we have seven children who were almost fatherless, in the blink of an eye. If Harry hadn't seen what he did ..." She wiped a few tears from her eyes as her voice trailed off. But then she changed the subject.

"Maddy, you should take care with Sirius. I know it's none of my business. But he's a bit ... reckless, isn't he? Impulsive, maybe? I don't know. And I care about him. But I'm afraid he would end up hurting you."

Maddy was surprised at the change in topic and didn't know how to answer this. "Well," she began slowly, "I think Sirius is fully aware of any dangers, and he's certainly well prepared. He's very clever. Impulsive, perhaps, but immensely protective. I love that about him. I love many things about him, actually." Sorry as she was for Molly, she felt the need to defend her relationship.

"Well, this place can't help things, can it? A lot of bad memories for him, I'm sure. Do you think you'll get married eventually? You seem to be very, er, close. I'm not sure you're setting a good example for the children." Mrs. Weasley, despite her somber mood, was having a tough time refraining from injecting her own opinion on other people's lives.

Maddy shrugged. "I'm sure things will work out the way they're meant to." She knew that really wasn't an answer, but didn't feel up to discussing it with anyone. "I believe I'll go take a shower. You let me know if you need anything, alright?"

Molly nodded absently as Maddy patted her on the shoulder before ascending the stairs.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The Weasleys, along with Harry, had gone to St. Mungo's to visit Arthur later that morning, having been escorted by Tonks and Mad-Eye Moody. Alone once more, Maddy sat on the floor of the drawing room, corralling some live fairies that were to be added to the tree, while she conversed with Sirius.

"You seem awfully content," Maddy remarked, watching him as he continued to decorate.

"Yeah, well, it's nice to have the house full of people, isn't it? Should be the best Christmas this mangy old crypt has ever seen."

"Not growing bored with just me here, are you?" Maddy asked teasingly. She stood up to get a better look at his work.

He came over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her to him. "No, my dear. You know I'm not. All that racket is nice, though, now and again." They stood in that posture for a few moments, before Maddy spoke.

"Sirius, I _really_ need to do a bit of Christmas shopping," she reminded him in a muffled tone.

"I hadn't forgotten. Our plans were just temporarily derailed. How about this afternoon, alright? Mind if Harry goes? If he wants to, that is. I've thought of a better place to go than London." He started to tell her, but her remarks about Kreacher had set him to wondering if it would be wiser to keep his mouth shut while in the house, just in case.

"Sounds good," Maddy said contentedly. Once he added the fairies to the tree, they rose and left the room, walking around the house and adding more decorations in various places. Sirius covered all the stuffed elf heads in Santa hats, while Maddy wrapped garland around the troll leg umbrella stand in the hallway and used her wand to add fake fuzzy white beards to the surly faces on every portrait in the hall. Sirius laughed at her work, declaring it to be a vast improvement. Then they headed down to the kitchen to make some lunch.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

As it turned out, Harry didn't accompany them shopping, but went straight to his room when everyone returned from St. Mungo's. Sirius went after him to ask, but emerged with a baffled shrug at Harry's refusal.

"He's worrying himself silly about Voldemort," Sirius said under his breath just before he and Maddy apparated. "Wish I could make him feel better about it. Ready?"

Maddy nodded. He gathered her close and they left.

They emerged after a slightly longer period of time, and Maddy looked around, trying to figure out where Sirius had brought her.

"Figured it out? You have exactly one minute," he said, teasing her.

"Seems like forever since we did that," Maddy said, grinning. She looked around. They were in a narrow alleyway, behind a skip. The dark side street was no different than many others they had arrived at, though this one had cobblestones instead of pavement. At the end of the dark street, she could see the cold December sun shining over the nearest thoroughfare, where crowds of people walked past, bundled up.

"Ah, it _could_ be England, but considering the amount of time to get here, probably somewhere on the continent." She looked up at him suspiciously, and he smiled.

"Well? Time's up."

"Alright, I have no idea," she said.

"The Christmas market in Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany. I thought they may have some interesting things. Let's go," he said, taking her hand.

They walked around for quite a while, sipping gluhwein and examining loads of ornaments, cuckoo clocks, smokers and knives. Various nativity scenes were available, and Maddy bought a few to display once they returned home. Sirius had already purchased some books for Harry with Remus, so Maddy found him a little smoker as a gift. She bought similar things for the Weasley kids and parents, as well as Remus and Tonks. Sirius was the only person left, and she had no idea what to get him. Unfortunately, despite the size of the town and an abundance of shops, she found nothing that piqued her interest. Feeling a bit depressed about that, she decided she was done for the time being, and they returned to London. Once back in the alleyway close to Sirius' house, she touched his arm.

"I still need to get _you_ something. Maybe I can go out with Tonks in a day or so," Maddy said, feeling slightly despondent about her lack of success.

Sirius shrugged. "Oh, don't worry about me. You're always giving me very nice gifts," he said with a wink.

"Well, I want to give you something non-sexual, for a change," she teased him. They walked out of the alleyway and toward Number Twelve. They were almost in front of the house when they heard someone approaching from behind.

"Sirius Black?" called a man's voice. Sirius and Maddy whirled around to see who was addressing him. A short, portly man with a walrus mustache and beard, wearing stately robes of dark grey, stood looking inquisitively at him, though he nodded politely in Maddy's direction.

"You're Sirius?" he repeated. "Thought I recognized you from pictures in the _Prophet_ sometime back_._"

Sirius finally spoke. "Yes, I am. Who are you?"

"Tobias Randall, solicitor. I've been looking for you for ages. I've a letter to deliver to you."

Sirius was thoroughly confused. "A letter? From whom?"

"I do not know, nor do I care. I only wish to get it off my hands before it drives me completely mad!" He rolled his eyes to indicate his frustration.

Sirius looked at the man as if convinced that he was already barking. "I'm not sure what you mean. How could you _not_ know who wrote it?"

"It appears that the unknown author performed an, um, _interesting_ bit of magic on it. It's been sitting, idle, in my office, ever since I took over my partner's clients when he passed away. No idea how long it had been there. Jonas Fitzgibbons was evidently the client's original solicitor. He died a few months back. All was calm until three weeks ago, when my filing cabinet began to shake violently for no reason. Once I found the offending document, _which didn't take very long_," he added, rolling his eyes once more, "it began speaking to me, in howler fashion, though it only instructed me to find you. It was a woman's voice, though. Took me ages to locate an address. Of course, when I got to your supposed residence that is on file with the ministry, it wasn't anywhere to be found." He suddenly glared at Sirius to indicate his disapproval of this appalling breach of etiquette, then his gaze swept along the length of the townhouses.

Sirius didn't offer an explanation, but shrugged noncommitally.

"Well, you found me. So where is this letter?"

"For heaven's sake! I can't be carrying it around with me. It's begun to rap me over the head now, repeatedly! No, it's in my office cabinet. I'd be most appreciative if you'd come and take the blasted thing off my hands before it destroys my office."

Sirius thought for a moment. "No, I think not."

The other man stared, slack-jawed, in shock. "Why ever not? You don't want it?"

"Oh, of course I do. Perhaps we could meet somewhere else, though, instead." Sirius was thinking of Victoria, and Maddy's brother. This sounded exactly like the kind of ridiculous stunt he might pull. "How about the Cauldron?"

Randall frowned. "Well, I'd really like to get rid of that nuisance. Are you available in a few hours? I must admit, I don't care where we meet, if you'll just take it away."

"Done," Sirius said. "How about three o'clock?"

"I'll be there," Randall promised.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

At three o'clock on the dot, Sirius walked, alone, into the Leaky Cauldron. He had instructed Maddy to stay behind at the house, much to her disappointment. There were only a few customers in the place on this day. The first person he saw was Tom, the ever-present barman. Tom was preoccupied, looking extremely amused, by watching some goings-on over in the corner and barely gave Sirius a cursory wave. When Sirius looked over in that direction, he had to chuckle. Tobias Randall was sitting there, nursing a firewhiskey, trying his best to ignore a lavender envelope which whacked him over the head repeatedly as it announced "Find Sirius Black!"

"Black! Thank Merlin you're here! Take this damned thing away!"

Sirius smiled broadly at the sight, but, feeling rather sorry for the solicitor at the same time, deftly grabbed the letter. It went quiet at his touch, and he found himself intensely curious about its contents. He wasn't about to open it in front of this man, however.

"Well, Mr. Randall, I thank you. Would you like for me to get that?" He waved his hand in the direction of the whiskey glass.

"No, thank you. I've already paid. Well, I'll be off." Randall immediately rose and looked balefully at the letter. "I certainly hope it contains good news," he muttered, leaving the half-empty glass behind. "Nice to have met you."

Sirius stared after him as the stout man pushed open the door and went outside, pulling his coat tightly around him in the frigid weather. Then he turned his attention to the mysterious letter.

"Care for something to drink, Mr. Black?" came Tom's voice.

Sirius looked up at him. "No, not today." He decided to leave the Cauldron himself, and take his new acquisition somewhere else to read. "Merry Christmas, Tom."

"And to you, too, Mr. Black!"

Sirius left the Leaky Cauldron and walked around Diagon Alley for a few minutes, trying to think of a good quiet place to read. He finally settled on finding a bench in Hyde Park, after apparating to an obscure location out of view. Once seated, he looked closely at the envelope. It said only _Sirius Black_ in neat lettering. He carefully opened it and pulled out a sheaf of parchment, then began to read. His brow wrinkled with increasing confusion as he studied the contents, and by the time he had finished reading it twice, he couldn't help but wonder about what it must be like to be a seer. He sat on the bench, feeling a bit overwhelmed. It had been signed by someone he knew to be dead ever since his arrival into Azkaban. _Carol Fraser O'Hannon_.

_A/N: Seems like chapters like the recent ones, where everything is swimming right along, are the hardest to write! And most likely not as fun to read. But if you'll hang in there, though, the action will pick up shortly. That's all I'm sayin'._

_But thanks so much for reading this far, and I hope you'll want to continue. By the way, I appreciate all the feedback!_


	17. The Letter, Explained

By the time he had apparated back to a point close to Grimmauld Place, Sirius was deep in thought, considering the letter from Maddy's mother. A niggling sense of annoyance crept into his mind which he felt immediately guilty about. It wasn't Maddy's fault, after all. But the whole concept of _seer_ was rather frustrating and incomprehensible to him. And nothing in the letter was anything he didn't already know, after all.

He stopped and sighed. He didn't really want to, but perhaps he ought to read the letter once more. He eased himself down on a bench and opened it, examining the flowing handwriting.

_15 August 1976_

_My dear Sirius,_

_You won't know me, of course. But I am sure by now you will know my daughter, Madeleine. That's what you will call her. We all know her as Maddy. She's not terribly impressed with that. She prefers Madeleine, as you do. As I write this, she is preparing to enter her first year at Hogwarts; a timid, sweet little girl whose idea of the perfect man is Gideon Crumb of the Weird Sisters. By the time you meet she will be one of the bravest people I've ever known, though I won't be around then. Which brings me to one reason for this letter to you, which I will explain soon enough. And a second one, after that._

_I am a seer. And if I do say so, I'm fairly accomplished at it, as was my mother, her mother, et al. Seers are in great demand, as it were, but lead rather depressing lives, which may surprise you to know. I've already seen my own death, for example. Trust me, no one really wants to know that sort of thing. And at the hands of someone close to me, it appears. But this isn't about me. I'm really writing to you to implore you to protect my daughter. You're in love with her, aren't you? I'm so happy to know that she has someone as strong and beloved as you with her. When she was a little girl, I "saw" her with you one day. I was just watching her, as any mother would her sweet child. And as plain as anything, I saw her as an adult, in an embrace with a handsome man. Long wavy hair and beautiful eyes. You were very much in love. I saw my grandchildren once, as well, who looked much as you do. I suppose that's a blessing of having an ability such as this. The curse, however, is seeing the bad things that can happen. _

_When you receive this, Maddy will most likely be in serious danger. My son William will have been aligned with Voldemort for several years now. Because somewhere along the way, and it breaks my heart to say it, William will lose the ability to detect right from wrong, despite my efforts. He'll be another of Voldemort's misguided lackeys. I see the dark lord being grievously injured, long before you receive this, and his servants scattering to avoid the ministry's wrath. Will is one of them. _

_And while I'm on the subject, I should tell you that you, my dear, are extremely courageous. I am aware of some of what you will go through, and while I can't do anything thing to prevent it, to my great misfortune, I want you to know how sorry I am that your dear friends died. Don't blame yourself, Sirius. Your goal was to protect them, and you, being human, placed your trust in someone who wasn't trustworthy. Not your fault. But I fear I am only making you feel worse, so I will move on here._

_Will is going to try to capture Maddy. Voldemort will come back to power (surely all this has happened by the time you read this), and his followers will feel strong once more. To avoid punishment from the dark lord, Will needs Maddy, thinking she has my gift and can be tortured into using it to help him. Maddy doesn't, however. Well, technically, she does, but where I and my ancestors have been specially trained to use it, I forbade it with her, hoping to protect her. She's seen _you_, though. Saw herself married to you last year, though I imagine she's forgotten it by now. Perhaps she will again. But I doubt that, even with any real training, she can help Voldemort, as if she would. But Will is desperate, and sadly, probably unbalanced. He doesn't really care. You know enough about Voldemort through your own terrible experiences to realize how little value he would place on Maddy's life even if she successfully saw things for him. If William doesn't discard her, Voldemort will. _

_I apologize for the confusing nature of this letter. It took much more preparation than I usually bother with to discern exactly when you should receive it. Obviously these events won't take place for many years after I write this, but I believe (hope!) that I have narrowed down the timeframe in such a way that it will reach you when you need it. _

_What I mean to say, overall, is that I saw Maddy being hurt, severely, at her brother's hand, and possibly dead. It's my belief that it will take place somewhere on our family's property, although the exact location is unfamiliar to me. It will be very dark, with no windows. I also saw a tiny glimpse of a tall woman with pink hair assisting him, though I don't know who she could be. I've _seen_ his wife before and she has blonde hair. But anyway... Whilst it is the practice of a seer to stay uninvolved, this _is_ my daughter we're talking about, and I will make any effort possible to prevent her being hurt. You'll know what I mean when you have your own children. I'm begging you to help her. You love her. I'm hoping that if you have an idea of what can happen to her, you will take my words to heart and not dismiss them. They don't care if she dies. And, if you do nothing, she will. Perhaps not physical death, but the kind suffered by some others in your group of resistance fighters. Keep her very close to you and don't be afraid of loving her, even if the two of you hit a rough patch. She may be tempted to go away, but please don't let her. Remember what she did to protect you (by the time you read this). She loves you, always has. And I would be proud to have you as a son. _

_As for the other reason for writing, I feel I must apologize to you for the lousy thing I did when the two of you were children. In my defense, I found myself very excited to be seeing Maddy's husband when she was a little child, and made the mistake of telling the wrong people about it. You were forced by your family to do something that must have been painful and horrifying to a boy. I think, however, you won't mind as much about it when you get to know my daughter. And though I know you didn't understand what I said, I'll write it here, because I think it is rather beautiful, and describes the two of you.  
_

**_I vow you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine__,  
_****from the day that we choose it shall only your name I cry out in the night  
and into your eyes that I smile each morning;  
I shall be a shield for your back as you are for mine,  
nor shall a grievous word be spoken about us,  
for our marriage is sacred between us and no stranger shall hear my grievance.  
Above and beyond this, I will cherish and honor you through this life and into the next.**

_Sirius, though I'll never see you in person as a son, I'm so happy to have met you. My daughter is very lucky._

_With love,_

_Carol Fraser O'Hannon_

Sirius put the letter back once more into its envelope, and trudged back toward his home. He felt a sense of frustration rising yet again as he thought about everything. He was already protecting Madeleine, as best he could. What more could he do? As far as he could tell, her brother could do nothing to take her away, given the security measures on the house. And since she always left with either him or Tonks, or possibly Remus, chances were virtually nil that she would be accosted.

His thoughts turned to the peculiar verse Maddy's mother had thrown in. So that was what he had been told to say, all those years ago. She obviously thought he would be impressed, but, in truth, he found it more than a bit creepy. Fleeting thoughts of marriage occurred to him now and again, but mostly, he was just enjoying things the way they were. _She_ didn't seem to be complaining, either. He wondered, suddenly even more irritated, why everyone seemed so fascinated with the state of their relationship. Was Madeleine really secretly sitting back, herself, just _waiting_ for this event to happen? He felt an irrational stab of annoyance with her.

But then he thought back to the letter. A pink-haired woman? He assumed she meant Victoria, though he had a hard time picturing _that_ woman with pink hair. And couldn't be Tonks, obviously. Well, surely seers made mistakes like everyone else, and it was most likely nothing.

As he walked, Sirius was struck by another, rather vicious thought. If her mother was so _all-knowing_, why didn't she ever take the time to warn him about Azkaban? It would have been awfully nice if he'd been saved years of pain and misery. He found it a bit unethical, to say the least, that she had that information on hand and basically did nothing with it. Of course, he had to admit, if some seer had appeared out of nowhere when he was twenty and informed him that he might wind up there, he would have just laughed and dismissed them as crazy. Still, though, she could've _tried_, he thought with disgust.

Sirius shrugged inwardly and found that he was standing in front of the house. He looked around with involuntary caution for any unsavory characters, then sighed with annoyance. Now her mother had made _him_ paranoid. Nobody was around, however, and he walked up the steps. As soon as he opened the door, he was struck immediately by Mrs. Black's screams emanating from her blasted portrait. They were largely ignored by the teenage occupants of the house, most of whom were tramping up and down the stairs and yelling at each other gleefully, apparently in an effort to be as loud as possible.

Sirius cursed and strode over to the portrait. His mother started in on him and his stains of dishonour, and he responded rudely as he yanked the curtain back over her face.

"Oi! Shut it!" he called up to the noisy offenders, who stopped and peered over the railing in shock. He glared at them and went down to the kitchen, hoping for a little peace. Molly Weasley was down there, however, making a stew, and immediately started in on him, albeit in a good-natured way.

"Well! About time you're back!" she began, smiling, but stopped short when she saw his dark look.

"I haven't exactly been gone very long," Sirius responded in an icily polite way. He made his way over to the Ogden's Old, and poured himself a glass which he downed quickly. Ignoring Molly's look of censure, he defiantly took the whole bottle with his glass and exited the room, bound for his bedroom and finally some quiet.

"Where's Madeleine?" he suddenly thought to ask, turning around on the stairs.

"Shopping with Tonks," Molly replied tersely, stung by Sirius' manner. "And Arthur's doing very well, by the way. Thanks for asking," she added sarcastically. She turned her back to him and began directing vegetable chopping once more with her wand. He ascended the stairs, passing the Weasley kids and Harry, vaguely noticing that yet another student, Hermione, had joined the group now.

"Sirius! Where've you been?" Harry asked, looking up from a pair of extendable ears he was testing with Fred, Ron and George. Harry's mood seemed better, at least.

Sirius gave him a half-smile. "Just out for a bit. We'll talk later, alright?"

He continued up the stairs until he reached his bedroom, and upon entering it, closed the door softly behind him. He took the letter and placed it in the top of his wardrobe under a small pile of bunched-up clothing, and sat down in a chair, returning to his firewhiskey.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

An hour later, Maddy walked in the bedroom, her cheeks flushed with cold and a big smile on her face. "You're back!" she exclaimed, walking over to kiss Sirius. "How was your meeting with that solicitor?"

"Fine," Sirius answered. He took one last swig of firewhiskey and set the glass down, feeling beyond tipsy now.

"Well, you must be all warmed up now!" Maddy said as she removed her coat and scarf. She gestured to the almost empty bottle of Ogden's and grinned at him. He didn't return the smile, however, and her own expression changed to one of concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked, sinking into the velvet chair next to him.

"Of course I am. Perfectly fine," Sirius answered shortly.

Maddy felt a bit confused at his sudden change in behavior. "Oh. So ... what was that letter about?"

"Oh, turned out to be nothing," he said breezily. "How was shopping?"

"Went very well," she replied with a wink. "I finally found you something I think you'll really like."

She smiled at him triumphantly, though he looked indifferently down at his empty glass. Her gaze faltered at his manner, and she stood up.

"Right. Well, I'll just talk to you later, then," Maddy said abruptly, heading for the door. She opened it and left the room, hurt by his attitude. He watched her go, but felt too sluggish and moody to attempt to follow her. The door shut behind her with a thud.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Dinnertime that evening was noisy as usual, with several conversations going on at once. In addition to the Weasley clan and assorted students, Tonks and Remus also were in attendance, though the person who sat at the head of the table was noticeably absent. Everyone asked Maddy where Sirius was, but she only shrugged, saying she thought he felt ill, and angrily polished off her hot stew with a big chunk of bread. She hadn't spoken to him since their brief conversation earlier when he had seemed so rude, but had returned downstairs to wrap the things she had gotten him. His behavior was a complete mystery, and she wondered if the strange letter, which was supposedly nothing, was involved somehow.

Once everyone had finished, Maddy and Tonks, along with Hermione, helped Molly clear up dishes and clean the kitchen. Maddy wasn't in the mood to talk now, but fortunately the other three women didn't seem to notice as they chatted back and forth. Once that was finished, she decided to get away from the noise and head up to their bedroom once more, taking a glass of wine with her. Hopefully Sirius would be in more of a mood to speak now.

The bedroom door opened with a loud creak, and Maddy glanced around as she walked in. He was nowhere to be found. She sighed, wondering exactly what was bothering him, and hoped he would let her know, instead of sniping once more at her and probably everyone else. She slid her clothing off and walked into the bathroom, twisting the ancient tap on the tub. Steaming water began to pour out of the faucet, and as the bathtub filled up she idly examined her face in the mirror, then pulled her hair up in a loose twist.

Once the tub was full enough, she switched the water off and climbed in hesitantly, wary of being scalded. But the temperature felt wonderful once she became accustomed to it, and she settled down, closing her eyes and just _being_ for a while.

After a half-hour of relaxation, Maddy began to wonder in earnest where Sirius was. Just as she was about to step out of the tub, though, she heard a creak as the door opened. A rush of air from the drafty hallway made her shiver and sink down lower into the warm water. She turned her head to see Sirius walking into the bathroom. Maddy looked up, waiting for him to speak.

"Hiya, Madeleine," he said in a subdued tone.

"Hi, yourself. Where've you been?"

He leaned against the sink. "Took a walk. Sorry I deserted you. I just needed to get away from the racket for a bit."

Maddy noticed Sirius' cheeks were ruddy with cold, and he still had his coat on. Shrugging it off his back, he walked to the doorway and threw it over the nearest chair, then returned to his previous spot. He looked around restlessly, then his gaze settled on her drink.

"I could use one of those, myself," Sirius commented, then his gaze swept over her appreciatively. "You're beautiful, you know that?" He continued to examine the length of her body.

She managed to smile. "Thank you. Now stop trying to change the subject. Care to tell me what's bothering you? And I don't want to hear 'nothing'."

He paused. "Alright. Mind if I join you, though?"

Maddy was surprised, but nodded. "Sure."

"I believe I'll get a glass of wine first. Be right back." He disapparated, leaving her looking at the space he had just occupied. In just a few minutes, however, he returned, holding a glass and the opened bottle.

"You must be hungry," Maddy said, sliding across to one side of the tub to make room for him as he took off his clothes. Once he was completely naked, it was her turn to admire him. He noticed, and leaned over before stepping in, giving her a soft, slow kiss.

Sirius sighed in contentment as he eased himself down to sit across from Maddy. "I am. That stew smells wonderful. Maybe a bit later, perhaps. I'm actually hungry for something else at the moment."

He took a sip and set the glass beside the tub, then let his arms hang over the edge. His feet crept up until they were on both sides of her body, toes caressing her lightly, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Time enough for that when you've explained yourself. What's wrong, Sirius?"

Sirius shrugged, giving up on his little bit of seduction for the moment. "That letter I got. It was rather ... unusual. And I didn't know what to make of it. Then I wasn't sure exactly how to tell you about it."

Maddy was confused. "Why not? What was in it? Who was it from?"

"Your mother."

She opened her mouth in surprise. "Are you joking? You know my mum's been dead for -"

"Ever since I went to Azkaban. Yes, I know. I'll show it to you later."

"You're serious, though?"

"Yeah, I am. She was concerned about you. Thought it was my job to protect you and all. She mentioned meeting me as a kid."

Maddy was still reeling from the news as he spoke. "But – how did she, I mean ... _why_?"

Sirius hesitated for a moment. "She's afraid your brother will take you. She knows you're not trained in being a seer, and that your brother believes you can help Voldemort. I'm sorry, Madeleine. I should have shown it to you when I saw you earlier, but ... I didn't really know what to think about it." He didn't add Carol's mention of marriage, but figured Maddy would read that soon enough. She'd _seen_ it, as well, after all.

"Now, have I explained myself and apologized enough for now so I can use my feet on you again?" he said with a hint of a devilish smile.

"I suppose, as long as they've warmed up," Maddy said, grinning, but she was anxious to get out and see exactly what her mother had said. Hopefully the woman had explained why she hadn't bothered writing to her own daughter. That, in particular, suddenly rankled her.

Now, though, she sighed in contentment as Sirius began his ministrations once more, delicately touching various parts of her body with his toes and looking very satisfied at her response. Soon, he sat up, leaning over her to use his hands in exploration instead. He took a bar of soap and used it all over Maddy's body, covering her in lather. Then he put it aside and cupped water in his hands and brushed them over her to cleanse her off.

"Am I forgiven?" he whispered. She nodded with eyes closed, enjoying the feel of his touch. "Let's go in there."

He stood and reached for a towel, drying himself off, and then Maddy, once she stepped out of the bath. Then he took her into the bedroom.

"Lie down," he told her softly. As she did, he went to the wardrobe and took the letter out. Then he climbed into bed next to her and lay very close, enjoying the silky feel of her skin, still hot from the bath.

"Go ahead. Read," Sirius said, handing her the letter. "_Then_ I'll use my toes and fingers and ... other relevant extremities on you some more."

He kissed her, and she eagerly accepted the letter, unfolding the sheet of parchment and reading wordlessly. Sirius watched her as she devoured the first page, then turned it over hurriedly to finish it. Finally she put it down and looked at him.

"She made you say that?" Maddy asked softly. "I don't remember. That must've been ... _interesting._"

He snorted softly. "All the more interesting because I had to say it in another language ... Gaelic or something. You and I have quite the history, don't we?" He looked speculatively at her.

She nodded. "And yet you're with me, despite all that," she answered, grinning. Then her gaze returned to the letter and she sobered a bit.

"I'm sure it was Gaelic. Mum knew quite a bit, and her parents spoke it fluently."

"Do you?" he asked.

"Nah. Never had the patience to learn it, though I know some words here and there."

"Really? Say something."

"Oh. Well, of course, since you ask, I can't really think of anything!" Maddy laughed.

"Tell me you love me."

"Um ... _Is tú mo ghrá_."

"I'll take your word for it," Sirius said. "And I love you. Say something else."

She thought for a moment. "_M__o chuisle_." It came out sounding like _muh kwishla._

"And that means ...?"

"Um, literally, 'my pulse', but basically means 'my darling'. And of course there's the ever popular '_Tá mo bhríste trí thine_!' "

"Which is?"

"My trousers are on fire."

He laughed again. "I'll have to remember that one if I'm ever in Ireland and step too close to a fireplace."

Maddy regarded Sirius silently for a moment. "You're not worried about this marriage thing, are you? Because, really, if it were me, I'd probably be terrified if two different people told me that. I never meant to frighten you. Maybe I shouldn't have ever brought it up. I'm perfectly happy like this, after all."

He lay on his side, touching her softly with a hand. First her belly, and then slowly trailing up her body. The gentle grazing of his palm against her breast made her shiver involuntarily, and he kissed her slowly in response before speaking.

"Well, that prospect is a bit _indimidating_, I'll admit. Not that I have anything against the convention, of course," Sirius hastened to add. "I'm just very, well, happy and satisfied with things the way they are at the moment. And then well-meaning, nosy people always want to bring it up ..."

He and Maddy thought of Molly at the same time, and both couldn't help snorting with laughter. Each knew who the other was thinking about.

"I wish everyone would just leave us alone, to be honest," Sirius finally said.

"I'm with you," Maddy said. "Now, enough talk of marriage and letters. You may resume using your extremities on me now. Any and all."

She sat up slightly and kissed him gently, yet sensually. "_Is tú mo ghrá, __m__o chuisle._"

"Which one was that? Are your trousers on fire, _muh kwishla_?" He couldn't resist teasing her, though he stumbled over the language.

"If I had any on right now, they would be, definitely. Now get on top of me and put the fire out."


	18. A Dream

"Madeleine ... wake up." Sirius nudged his girlfriend slightly with his nose as he whispered in her ear.

Maddy grunted softly but didn't stir otherwise. Sirius then decided to try a different approach. Putting his mouth to her ear, he began to sing a line from Celestina Warbeck's latest saccharine holiday single. It was one they were both all too familiar with, as Molly Weasley enjoyed playing and humming it incessantly.

She groaned and grabbed a down pillow, shoving it over her head. He laughed and lifted one side, continuing to warble in a soft falsetto.

"Jesus! Stop!!" Maddy groaned, her voice muffled by the pillow, but she couldn't help giggling. He removed the pillow from her ear and replaced it with his mouth once more.

"Let's open presents," he whispered.

"What is it? Three o'clock?" she asked, yawning.

"Probably," he answered. "Let's go before everyone else wakes up."

He slid out of bed and stood clad only in pajama bottoms, waiting for her to follow. Maddy draped herself in a robe, tying it at the waist, and took his hand. They walked quietly down the dimly lit hallway and descended the stairs.

Once they were in the drawing room, Sirius lit the lamps, then led Maddy directly to the tree. They both sat in the floor in front of it. He wasted no time in employing the mistletoe, kissing her softly for several minutes.

"I love you, Madeleine. Merry Christmas," he whispered in her ear after he finally broke away. The feel of his breath made her shiver with pleasure in the chilly air, and he laughed softly at the reaction.

"And I love you," Maddy answered, smiling slyly at the effect he had on her.

He took a few gifts from under the tree and pushed them over to her. "There you go, darling. They're not much, I suppose, but I thought you'd like them." He shrugged slightly, feeling insecure about his own choices.

"Oh, I'm sure I will," she replied. "Here are yours, and the same sentiment applies." Maddy dug around the various gifts that were scattered under the tree until she found the ones she had wrapped for him.

Sirius began to rip paper apart on a large box and eagerly unfolded tissue paper. Under it was a midnight blue waistcoat, made of velvet. He held it up, looking more closely at the details.

"I love it," he said, smiling at Maddy. "Thank you."

She grinned and shrugged innocently. "Can't help it ... I love seeing you in those. Put it on, already."

"I have no shirt, if you hadn't noticed," he retorted good-naturedly.

"It'll look better that way," Maddy replied, her eyes gleaming.

He shrugged it on and buttoned it. "Look at you, ogling me," Sirius said in mock indignation. "Now," he added. "Your turn."

Maddy obliged by taking a small wrapped box, immediately ripping off the paper. She pried it apart and saw a pendant nestled inside, lying on velvet. She picked it up, examining it. It was a hammered silver square with three small diamonds scattered on the surface.

"I was worried you might not like it, but it really looked like you. It's called Evening Star," Sirius said. "And the other box goes with it."

"No, I love it! It's beautiful," she exclaimed. "Put it on me." She agreed that the diamonds rather resembled stars and was pleased that Sirius had chosen something with that theme.

Sirius scooted closer to her. Maddy held her hair up off her neck, and he clasped the short chain together at the nape. His fingers brushed her lightly as he did, and she shivered once more, unable to help herself. He laughed softly and put his lips in the same place, enjoying the taste of her skin.

"Well," Maddy finally said, thoroughly entranced by his touch, "we both have more to open. You go first."

He stopped with reluctance and took the little box she offered. "I really wasn't sure what you would like, but you wear these sometimes, so ..." Her voice trailed off as he began to open it.

Once it was unwrapped, Sirius opened it to see a pair of cufflinks from an esteemed jeweler in Diagon Alley. They were finely made, with his initials engraved on them.

"Not terribly original, but maybe you can use them." She suddenly felt as though she had done a lousy job of selecting presents.

"They're lovely, and I will certainly use them," Sirius reassured her, giving Maddy a kiss on the mouth. He smiled at her indulgently. "Now, go on. You've got one more."

She reached for the other present, opening it quickly to see that it was a beautiful silver bracelet that matched the necklace. Several hammered rectangles with a few little diamonds alternated with window squares.

"Oh, yeah, it's lovely! It goes with the other one." She struggled with it for a moment, trying to get it around her wrist, and Sirius finally took it himself, fastening it for her.

"Well," he said, "I guess we're finished up here," he said. "Problem is, I'm not sleepy anymore." He leered suggestively at Maddy. "Any ideas?"

"I do have one. Involves a few items we bought in Hogsmeade. Y'know, your other Christmas present? And I'm not sleepy now, either." She leaned over to kiss him slowly. "But first, I'd better make this a good one. I'd hate for all that mistletoe to go to waste."

Sirius let Maddy continue, pulling her over to him as she kissed him until she was on his lap.

"So should we take a chance here? Or go back to the bedroom?" he whispered.

"Well, personally, I'd -" she began, but a noise from the hallway interrupted her.

They both turned to see Kreacher shuffle past the doorway. "The blood traitors are at it again. Oh, if my poor mistress knew what kind of filthy deeds were going on here, oh, the shame ..." he muttered with his lip curled in an expression of extreme distaste as he disappeared, headed further down the hallway.

"Well, that's the kind of response I'd expect from an obnoxious toe rag whom even other house elves wouldn't look twice at -" Sirius called after him. Maddy shushed him, laughing.

"Let's go to the bedroom for the filthy deeds," she said. "Having Kreacher nearby is enough to get me right out of the mood."

Maddy stood and stretched, noticing that the house elf's appearance fortunately had no ill effect on Sirius' ardor. She gave him an appreciative glance in that direction, and took his hand, leading him out of the room and back to bed.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Once the holidays were over, time passed quickly for the kids. Too quickly, in fact, according to Fred and George, who had even less desire to return than the other students. Mr. Weasley had recovered enough so that he could leave St. Mungo's, and the kids doted on him as he recuperated further. Harry managed to speak to Sirius on several occasions, and was reluctant himself to return to the school to face Umbridge and her fanatical disciplinary measures. Occlumency with Professor Snape was another topic he was extremely unenthusiastic about, but Sirius forced himself to say nothing overtly negative about _that_ person, though he couldn't help reminding the potions master that he would be watching for any ill treatment of his godson. Snape responded in equal fashion as he casually reminded Sirius of his involvement in the Pettigrew's capture. Not surprisingly, Harry's godfather was in a much surlier mood until the end of the kids' stay, and didn't have much more to say to anyone, though, as Harry was leaving, he gruffly handed him a small item wrapped in paper when no one was looking. He explained that it was a two-way mirror that he had used with James years earlier, and for his godson to employ it whenever he needed to keep in touch.

By the twelfth of January, everyone had gone and Grimmauld Place was quiet once more. Sirius and Maddy spent their first quiet evening in quite some time, sitting by the fire together and reading. Maddy was flipping through an old _Witch Weekly_ that Molly had left behind, when a spark crackled in the fireplace. Sirius glanced up, but, seeing nothing else, went back to his book. Then the same thing happened again a moment later, only this time the face of Kingsley Shacklebolt sat in the midst of the flames. Sirius sat up straight.

"Kingsley!"

"Sirius, Maddy." He nodded in her direction. "I looked for you in the kitchen fireplace first, then I thought you might be up here. I have some news for you."

His expression, though difficult to distinguish among the flames, appeared grave as he continued.

"What is it?" Sirius asked. He stood up and went over to the fireplace, kneeling down in front of it. Maddy sat where she was, but put her magazine down to listen.

"I'll get right to the point. Ten Death Eaters have escaped from Azkaban."

"What?!" Sirius gasped in surprise. "You're joking! How on earth did that happen?"

"Unfortunately, it's no joke. Bellatrix Lestrange and her husband were among them."

Sirius couldn't have looked any more shocked. His face turned pale as he spoke again. "How did they do it?"

"The dementors allowed the escape. They've gone outside Ministry control now and joined up with Voldemort. Fudge is beside himself, but he still won't admit that the Dark Lord is behind all this." Maddy caught a distinct eyeroll as Kingsley relayed this information. Then he continued.

"And there's something else, Sirius."

"What?"

"Peter Pettigrew is gone, as well."

Sirius' shoulders slumped and he looked disgusted. "Well, who didn't expect _that_ to happen?"

"Problem is, he escaped ages ago. Fudge let that slip when I spoke to him earlier."

Now Maddy spoke up. "What?! How on earth did he get out? And how did nobody know about it?"

The flames roiled around his face as he responded. "Probably escaped as a rat. I'm sure they didn't take appropriate precautions to contain him. It was actually quite some time back, as I understand. Very few people must have known, and obviously Fudge wanted to keep it that way. To keep their little mistake quiet."

Sirius stared at the burning image as if in a daze. But before he could respond, Kingsley spoke once more.

"I have to go now. Needless to say, I've got an overwhelming number of things to take care of. I did want you to know, though, before I get started on all that." He sounded exhausted already.

Sirius sat back, looking very alarmed. "Right. Kingsley, keep me posted on what you hear."

Kingsley nodded. "Of course. I'll be in touch." And with another crackling spark, the face disappeared.

Sirius continued to sit on his knees, looking at the flames as if transfixed by them. Then he gradually turned to Maddy.

"They're not making me go back there!" he spat out vehemently.

Maddy was startled. "What are you talking about? Azkaban? They would never send you back to that place just because you're related to someone that escaped!"

He looked none too reassured by her words, but managed to nod faintly as he considered them. "Probably not. But Madeleine, you don't know these people. They're misguided and ruthless. This escape is inexcusable on Fudge's part, and it wouldn't surprise me a bit to be implicated, somehow, to take the blame off him." Sirius nursed an overwhelming distrust of anything Ministry-related, despite the freedom that had been granted to him.

He stood and walked back to the sofa where Maddy sat. Then he leaned over and kissed her briefly.

"I believe I'll go on to bed. I'm going to have something to drink first, though."

Maddy nodded and watched him go, wishing that she could say something to make him feel better. For now, though, she felt it was best to leave him alone. She sat in silence, looking at the words printed in front of her but not really seeing them. Later, when she followed him to bed, he was surprisingly sound asleep.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius awoke. Wherever he was, it was completely dark and he was lying on something hard. He leaned over to grab his wand, hoping to cast a light on the clock. Groping around, he found nothing. As he continued to come out of sleep, he groggily realized it wasn't the comfortable bed he had been sharing with Madeleine, but instead a cold stone floor, cold enough to seep through his bones. His teeth began to chatter uncontrollably as the dampness from the room chilled him thoroughly. Looking up, he tried to gain his bearings. He slowly pulled himself up to a sitting position, and was promptly bitten.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed angrily, looking down to see that something had just taken a bite out of his finger. A rat sat there in the faint light, quite unconcerned as Sirius massaged the injured and bleeding digit. He brushed the rodent away in a rage, but it came right back as if waiting for another chance to attack. Sirius stood up, suddenly feeling very stiff from lying on the floor. A different kind of coldness was sweeping over him as he looked slowly down at himself. He was no longer wearing his usual clothes, but instead his filthy prison rags that he thought he had discarded well over a year ago. He detected a putrid scent in the air that he hadn't smelled since Azkaban. His feet were bare, and the rat had now gone for a toe, seeing that it was unprotected. He howled with pain and kicked it away. The damned rat kept coming back, though, trying to bite once more.

"Oh, God," Sirius moaned as it slowly dawned on him where he was. "Oh, God, no ..." He stumbled around in the darkness until his head hit something hard. He groaned again, gripping his head in his hands for a moment. His fingers came in contact with messy, unwashed hair. He frantically touched his face and felt a scraggly beard.

Eventually he made his way to an opening and felt to see what it was. His hands wrapped themselves around thick iron prison bars. There was no escaping them as Padfoot, either. Someone at Azkaban had evidently learned their lesson, for these bars were so close together that his fingers would barely fit through the spaces in between. He was suddenly terrified, and shook them violently, screaming for someone to come and get him out of this place.

"I don't belong here! I'm innocent!" he shouted, though he knew instinctively that no one who mattered could hear him. Laughter from the other inmates sounded all the way down the hall.

"Oi, Black, you're back ... ha, a rhyme," said a voice from across the hall. Robotham. "Good to see you again, mate. Yeah, they made sure you couldn't get out this time. Oh, and 'course you're innocent. We all are." A snigger erupted from the faceless voice.

"Madeleine!" Sirius cried out, shaking the bars once more. Out of the darkness, a faint light was growing brighter down at the guards' station. He could now just make out Robotham's leering face. He edged his way to the far end of the bars, trying desperately to see if anyone was down there. Some people were making their way toward him, walking slowly and deliberately. The squish of footsteps on the damp floor echoed all around him, and he craned his neck, trying to get a better look.

It seemed he waited forever, still shivering, before anyone actually stood before him. But finally, the figures of three people stopped in front of his cell. The screaming had hurt his throat, and Sirius was forced to clear it several times. He squinted to make out who the visitors were, when suddenly a light was turned on. He moaned and put his hands over his eyes to shield them from the intense brightness. Once they had grown more accustomed to it, he managed to slowly remove his hands. Standing directly in front of his cell were Cornelius Fudge, Remus Lupin and Madeleine O'Hannon.

"Madeleine! Remus! Why am I back here?" Sirius croaked desperately, his voice still hoarse. He could barely make any noise with it, and kept coughing, hoping to solve the problem. But Maddy and Remus merely looked indifferent, and almost embarrassed. Fudge was actually the first one of the group to speak. He pulled out an impressive looking piece of paper, and began to read.

"Sirius Black, you have been previously convicted of using an illegal curse to bring about the deaths of thirteen people on the thirty-first of October, 1981. We add to that now the deaths of two others, James and Lily Potter, brought about by your actions. You are fully responsible for those, as well."

He paused for a moment, and Sirius began to hyperventilate. Surely Madeleine could make them understand that he was innocent. She had saved his life, after all. But when he looked up at her, gasping for breath, she was smiling, and not in a pleasant way.

Fudge continued. "_Escaping_ from Azkaban carries with it the additional punishment of the dementors' kiss. On this day, your soul will cease to exist, and your body will remain an empty shell until the day in which you meet a physical death. Madame O'Hannon and Mr. Lupin here serve as witnesses to this act, which shall be performed shortly. But it would appear we have three others willing to observe, as well." Fudge looked over his glasses at the three newcomers who had joined Maddy and Remus. James, Lily and Harry stood there.

"And what are your names?" Fudge asked superciliously.

"I'm Prongs, and this is Evans, and our son, Harry. Joining Moony here, and looks like Wormtail made it, as well!" James cheerfully pointed to the rat inside Sirius' cell, who continued in his attempts to bite his toes. "The Marauders are back in business. Well, until Padfoot here gets the mental axe, so to speak." Everyone, including Harry, snorted with laughter, except Sirius. He appealed to Madeleine soundlessly, hoping to catch her eye.

Finally, she sighed noisily and walked up to the cell where Sirius' hands were still gripping the bars. "Oh, alright," she whispered. She touched his finger with her own, much the same way he remembered touching hers months before. Suddenly a recollection of that day came back to him in a rush. Now, though, she looked disdainful. "Good riddance," she whispered, so low that only he could hear. He closed his eyes defeatedly.

As Maddy backed away, smirking, to stand between Remus and James, Sirius began to sob uncontrollably. All the people who had loved him were now his enemies and wanted him dead. His hands gripped the bars so tightly that they were white, and he couldn't stop crying. As he did, though, he felt a soft presence beside him. Someone wrapped an arm around his thin shoulders, pulling him away from the bars and on the tiny bed. He looked through tear-filled eyes to see another Madeleine, in the same nightgown she had worn to bed that night, holding him and rocking him slowly as she might a child.

"This is just a dream, Sirius. That's not me. Not Remus, James, Harry, nor Lily either." She took his face in her hand and wiped the tears away. He was still shaking with cold and fear, and she continued to speak to him in a low voice, comforting him.

"You'll wake up soon. It's not real. _This_ is really me, and I love you. Try to wake up, can you do that?"

She kissed him softly on the lips while still touching his face. "I'll stay with you until you awaken, alright? I won't leave you."

Sirius nodded, feeling warmer now from the heat of her body as he leaned against her for support. She continued to hold him closely, ignoring everything going on outside the bars, though the others were now quiet. Finally, as he calmed down, his surroundings seemed to fade and he came back into consciousness.

It was completely dark in the room, but he could easily see that he wasn't in Azkaban, but rather in his own bedroom. Clearing his throat, he felt very hoarse, as though he had been screaming for hours. He felt around anxiously until he found Maddy, sleeping so deeply that she almost seemed dead. His touch made her jerk suddenly, though, and she gasped, sitting straight up in the bed.

"Madeleine? Are you alright?"

She massaged her temples and moaned. "Yeah," she finally whispered, and fell back on the bed again. Soon she was sleeping again, hard. Sirius wanted to tell her about his dream, and couldn't believe she was already dead to the world once more.

Now, though, he had no desire to go back to sleep. Rising out of bed, he pulled on a pair of jeans and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hours later, it was late morning and Maddy still hadn't awoken, though Sirius had checked on her numerous times. He was growing a bit worried about her. She slept so soundly that it was difficult to tell she was breathing, and he was forced to lean very close to her face, reassured only by the feel of soft and shallow breaths against his ear. By noon, he decided to wake her himself. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Sirius shook her gently.

"Wake up, Mad'leine," he said softly.

She finally stirred, sitting up slowly as she looked around the room. Her eyes focused on Sirius, who looked very concerned.

"You alright, love?" he asked.

"Oh ... yeah," she replied, though her brain still felt extremely foggy. "What time is it?"

"Twelve. Noon," he added when she looked confused.

"Mmmm. Sorry I slept so long," Maddy muttered, swinging her legs clumsily over the side of the bed.

She stood up slowly, and Sirius recalled, watching her, that he had seen the same nightgown in his dream. He wanted to tell her about it, though at the same time he was reluctant to mention it, for fear of making it come back at some point. It had been a long time since he had dreamed about Azkaban, but this particular one had to be the most agonizing thing he had ever experienced. At least until the end, he thought, when a second Maddy had shown up, which had been an even stranger development. He felt a sense of warmth as he remembered her comforting him like a child, holding him and speaking reassuring words.

Meanwhile, Maddy was now taking her gown off. She stood in front of the wardrobe, trying to decide on clothing, and Sirius noticed her tattoo once more. A rune symbol, identical to his own, on her lower back. He remembered the first time he had ever noticed it. In a dream about her. Odd that he had known about it before seeing it in person.

"Did I ever tell you I dreamt I saw that tattoo? Before you told me you had one, I mean."

Maddy didn't say anything at first, but still had her back to him, rifling through clothes. "Um, yeah, I think you did mention that," she finally replied absently.

"Interesting that I would know such a thing. Do you think I have some kind of sight, as well?" he joked.

She turned around and studied him for a moment, as if trying to decide what to say. "You had a bad dream last night, didn't you?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "How did you know?"

"You were crying in your sleep. I actually tried to wake you, but I couldn't." Maddy kept looking at him as she spoke, with a curious expression on her face, almost like pity.

"Yeah. It was really bad. Stranger than most dreams. You were in it, and ... well, all my friends were. But it was like you all hated me and wanted me dead. I was back in Azkaban. But the really odd thing is, you showed up later. I mean, you were standing there, sneering at me, but then you were also in the cell with me, comforting me, telling me it would be alright. You were wearing _that_," he said, pointing to her discarded nightgown.

Maddy glanced at the gown, crumpled on the floor, and looked away suddenly. "I'm sorry, love. Are you alright now?" she asked.

"Yeah. But that part where you showed up again, it was so strange. Like you were really there. I mean, physically present ... not really _dream-like_. I've only noticed that a few other times. Come to think of it, they've all been when I was dreaming of you."

He shrugged in dismissal of the topic, but Maddy kept staring at him. Finally she sighed.

"Sirius, there's something I think I should tell you."

He frowned. "What is it? Something wrong?"

She nodded. "Well, I don't know. I've done something that ... well, a few things," she amended, "that, um, at the time, didn't seem like a big deal. Or in the case of last night, I thought it was the best thing to do. But I think I should tell you about them."

Sirius was thoroughly confused. "What on earth are you talking about?" he asked. "You're not making sense."

"I, uh, just feel I should tell you this. Because I think it was the wrong thing to do, but ..."

"What? What could you have done?"

"I _was_ in your dream last night," Maddy said, licking her lips which were suddenly dry.

He nodded. "Well, yes, I know. That's what I was just saying."

"You don't know all of it. Me in the nightgown ... that ... that was really _me_. It's a type of legilimency, I suppose. I don't know what you'd call it ..." Her voice grew fainter as she tried to explain.

"Legilimency?! You're a legilimens? Since when?"

Maddy looked helplessly at him. "Well, I learned how whilst in school. It's more of a combination of that and, I dunno, leaving my body. Haven't done it a lot, though."

"You ... _what_?" Sirius stared at Maddy in amazement. "Are you saying you performed legilimency on _me_? You got inside my head?"

Maddy was at a loss for words, and looked back at Sirius with her mouth slightly agape, trying to find the right thing to say.

"I, well, sort of. You were having that horrible nightmare, thrashing about all over the place and shouting. I tried to wake you, but couldn't. You just seemed so distressed, that I thought ... I don't know, I was worried about you."

"So you just ... delved into my mind?" He still sounded incredulous. "Just like that?"

"Not _just like that_. It seemed a logical solution at the time," Maddy answered, thinking her excuse was sounding more feeble by the moment. "But I feel horrible about it. Bad dream or no, it's not right, and I need to apologize."

He stared at her, suddenly feeling as though he didn't know her very well at all. "And how exactly do you do this?"

"Well, like I said, you just leave your body, and, I guess, _think_ yourself into someone's mind."

"Someone. As in me?" Sirius asked flatly. "Me, of course. I'm the guinea pig, huh?"

His look was growing darker as he processed this information. He stood there in silence for a minute, then said slowly, "Have you ever done this before?" He had a slight suspicion as he said the words that he knew the answer to this already. "That's how I knew about your tattoo, isn't it?"

Maddy took a deep breath. She couldn't bring herself to lie to him, but she was not looking forward to answering that question.

"Yeah. I did it twice. Not long after I came here." She looked away, avoiding the look of horror and mounting fury in his eyes.

There was complete silence for a moment as he stared at her.

"Look at me!" Sirius whispered. "_How_ could ... how could you do that to me?"

Maddy took a deep breath and raised her head. "The first two times were, well, when you were being so hateful. I wondered if it might be easier to ... I dunno ... talk to you in a dream. You were so closed off whenever I actually spoke to you. I wasn't trying to read your thoughts or anything."

"Are you actually trying to put this off on _me_?" he demanded incredulously. "Like it's my fault?"

"No, I'm not. I'm trying to explain what I did. Of _course_ it was a stupid thing to do, and it was a mistake. And then you and I began to talk more and became friends. I didn't want to do it again and I realized it was really unfair to you." She sighed. "And obviously, I should have left well enough alone last night. I was just very worried about you."

"Oh _yes_. Madeleine to the rescue once again. What a hero! Did it occur to you that I don't _need_ rescuing? I survived for years in that _hellhole_ without even knowing you existed. Of course I have bad _fucking_ dreams once in a while. I have all this shit I have to live with every day of my lousy effing life. And now I find out that you, my girlfriend and the _one_ person I trusted more than anyone and felt safe with, seem to think you can invade my mind whenever you bloody well feel like it! Am I allowed any privacy whatsoever?"

Sirius was trembling with rage and indignation. And then something else struck him.

"Oh, and just so you know, I think your mother was a complete nutter!"

"My mother?" Maddy asked, taken aback and totally confused. "What's she got to do with anything?"

"Yeah, your _mum_. Writing to me from beyond the grave, practically, telling me you need protection, and seeing as how I'm going to be your _husband_ sooner or later, she informs me ever so practically, it's my job to shield you from your idiot of a brother. Because apparently you can't do it on your own. Y'know, I think I managed to sort that one out well enough on my own, though. I am useful that way, sometimes," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His anger continued to rise, and he no longer cared how hurtful he sounded.

"Well, let me tell you something, _Madeleine_, and I want us to be perfectly clear on this. No matter what you, your stupid mother, or any other of the monumental fools in your family think, it will be one cold day in hell before I will _ever_ marry you. I hope I've made myself clear."

He glared belligerently at Maddy, daring her to contradict him. She could feel tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, and desperately willed them not to spill out. Finally she said the only thing that seemed right.

"I'm so sorry I did that to you, Sirius. I wouldn't hurt you for anything," she said softly, her shoulders slumping defeatedly. "Really, I -"

Sirius' manner didn't improve any with this declaration, but instead he turned on his heel and stormed away. "I'm going out. When I return-" he snarled, abruptly whirling back to face Maddy, "- I don't want to have to see you. Take the other room back. Until I decide what I'm going to do."

And with that, he charged down the stairs, ignoring his mother's shrieks and insults. The front door closed with a bang.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy stood there, mute, with tears flowing freely now. Finally, she slowly turned toward the bedroom and, in a blurry haze, gathered up her things. She didn't bother with a wand, but took everything in her arms down a flight of stairs, then turned into the hallway where Sirius' old bedroom was. After making a few more trips, she and all her things were back where she had begun in late summer at Grimmauld Place.


	19. A Good Opinion, Once Lost

A few hours passed with no sign of Sirius. Maddy sat in front of a dingy window in his old bedroom, blankly looking outside and not really seeing anything. What the bloody hell had possessed her to tell him about what she had done, anyway? She knew the answer, however, even as she asked herself the question. Despite wanting to make him feel better and comfort him, she had felt a strong sense of guilt about invading his mind once more. She didn't blame him for getting upset with her. And now things had changed, perhaps irrevocably. Tears ran down her cheeks as she pondered her own stupidity. She should never have said anything. If she had just let it go, Sirius would eventually have forgotten the incident and she would have never done it again. There was no help for it now. She would just have to let his anger take its course and hope he was eventually forgiving about the matter.

Finally Maddy heaved a great sigh and stood up, feeling the need to be anywhere but in this depressing house. Sirius was still at large, somewhere, and who knew when _he_ would return. She picked her wand out from under a pile of clothing, and thought quickly of a destination to escape to. Once ready, she shrugged her coat and scarf on and disapparated with a _pop_.

When she came to her chosen location, Maddy looked carefully around, then walked out into the open. In London, the day had gotten increasingly colder and threatened snow, but here in Hogsmeade, it was positively frigid, with blustery winds. She pulled up her collar walked down a tiny lane, not caring if anyone saw her, until she reached the end. Off to the right stood the lone ramshackle house that was commonly known as the most haunted dwelling in Britain. But Maddy knew it as the place where Sirius and his mates had spent many hours whiling away the time when he had been in school. She thought back to her first year at Hogwarts, when he would have been a seventh year. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, she had forgotten about him by then. If she had seen him that year at school, she probably wouldn't have even recognized him as the man she was going to fall in love with many years later. Gazing at the dilapidated structure, though, she pictured him being happier here with James and Remus than he had ever been or would be again. The thought made her sad, in an odd kind of way. By now, Maddy had long begun to think it natural to picture herself with Sirius for the rest of their lives, happily married and raising children together. Obviously, that dream was dashed, possibly because of a few stupid actions on her part. Sirius probably thought she was completely mental. Well, her entire family didn't exactly have much to recommend themselves, after all. A father who went mad, killing his wife and getting himself thrown into Azkaban. Her mother, writing Sirius letters from the other side of the grave. A death eater brother who thought his sister was an expendable commodity that would draw him closer to Voldemort. It was perfectly logical that he would think her as big a nutter as the rest of them.

But then she felt a surge of anger. She wasn't like her father or brother. Perhaps her mother, who _wasn't_ crazy, no matter what Sirius said. Neither of them could help seeing things, after all. It was just part of who they were. Bloody unforgiving, _stupid _man, she decided fiercely. And look how mad his own mother had been! He was one to talk.

Maddy leaned against a fencepost, looking over at the Shrieking Shack which was obscured by the falling snow, and realized that she could take a look around it. The thought had never occurred to her before, but now seemed like a perfectly good time to go. She concentrated on the building, and soon she had apparated inside.

She stood on the ground floor, looking around, and promptly sneezed three times in succession. It was perhaps the dustiest place she had ever been in. Walking forward, Maddy tried to avoid weak places in the floor, and hoped desperately that she wouldn't fall through it, as the planks were clearly rotting in several places. She stepped carefully over debris littering the floor, and wondered when anyone had been here last. Then it came to her. Sirius had been in this house, for a time, while he was running from the Ministry. He had confronted Pettigrew here, and this was the place where Harry had found out the truth about his godfather.

For some reason, the thought made Maddy grow tearful once more. Of course Sirius would continue to be in Harry's life, maybe just not hers. She entertained the notion that he might actually forgive her, but brushed it away quickly. Inserting herself in his mind might have seemed like a minor offense at the time, but she could see why he was so furious and hurt, and truthfully, she couldn't blame him a bit. She had to wonder, however, that if this incident hadn't happened, if something else would have eventually taken its place. Some other screw-up on her part which would leave her in the same position. She had thought Sirius loved her, but she had to admit, he hadn't exactly been in any kind of mature relationship since he was twenty, if _that_ even counted. Perhaps he had no idea how to work through problems, or maybe just didn't care enough whenever a romance hit a rough patch. She didn't know the details of his old affair, and was struck by a sudden wild desire to find the mysterious Karen and ask her about it. She quickly dismissed any such notion, however. Interpreting Sirius' reasoning was turning out to be a pointless exercise, after all, until he was willing to talk to her.

Once the tears had stemmed again, Maddy made her way up the wobbly staircase to the next floor. One room, which must have been some sort of bedroom in the past, was littered with bones, picked clean and scattered about the floor. She looked down at them, picturing Sirius being forced to eat small rodents to survive. Now she felt a fresh wave of guilt, wishing she could have done something to help him during that year. But she was being stupid again. No wonder he thought she had to be some kind of hero. But he didn't understand her motives, Maddy told herself. It wasn't a desire for heroism; it was love and concern for him that made her want to do these things. She didn't want to suck the life out of him, certainly, but only harbored a desire for him to be happy. Thoroughly depressed once more, she sat on a rickety stair step, wishing she could take this whole day away.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Finally, after roaming around the Shrieking Shack for close to an hour while revisiting Sirius' past and a bit of her own, Maddy was ready to leave. She really didn't want to return to Grimmauld Place just yet, though. Thinking of various places she could go, she decided she could really use something to drink. She wasn't about to risk Madame Rosmerta in the Three Broomsticks, and endless prattling about her relationship. She quickly apparated back to the fencepost at the end of the lane, and walked in the snow and near darkness to a bar she had never frequented, the Hogs Head.

The place appeared completely deserted, and Maddy wondered at first if it was closed. But the door creaked opened readily, and she peered in to see a lone figure at the end of the bar, an elderly man in a flat cap and robes who didn't look in her direction. She slid into a booth and kicked her feet up on the bench across from her, wishing she had brought something to occupy her mind so she wouldn't have to think about Sirius for a while.

Nobody appeared at the bar for quite some time, and Maddy was growing disgusted at the lack of service, when suddenly, a door at the back burst open and a tall man with flowing yellowish-white hair and a long beard strolled out, holding a baby goat in his arms. She couldn't help but look at him in surprise, partially for whom he resembled, but also because she hadn't been expecting to see a goat. The barman looked back at her, squinting, as if he had never seen a woman in his pub before. Finally, Maddy decided she would have to approach him if she wanted to have something to drink.

"I'd like a firewhiskey," she said, walking up to the bar. The kid baah'd softly, making her smile faintly despite her mood.

The man stared at her as if she was the first woman he had ever seen, but finally nodded and took a glass from under the bar, setting it swiftly on top. He turned around to grab a bottle of Ogden's Old, and Maddy, who looked at the filthy glass in horror, quickly waved her wand to it to make it clean. Then the old man turned back around and filled it full of the gold liquid. She could hear the hearty chuckle of the elderly man at the end, but nothing was said, though the barman glanced down at him inquisitively. Maddy deposited a few galleons on the bar, muttering her thanks, and took her drink. She settled herself back in the same spot and stared off into space, thinking, inevitably, about Sirius again. Was this the end of their relationship? She hoped he would cool down enough to accept her apology. She suspected it wouldn't be that easy, though. Sirius was so trustworthy and loyal, himself, that he would regard the kind of thing she had done as the height of betrayal. But she would have to try, at least. A quote occurred to her, from _Pride and Prejudice_. _My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever. _She wondered if that described Sirius as well as it had Mr. Darcy.

Then Maddy's thoughts turned to the letter once more. She felt a surge of renewed anger at her long-dead mother suddenly, both for her communication with Sirius and lack thereof with her own daughter. Why couldn't the woman have left well enough alone? Meddling in her daughter's affairs, telling him he was going to marry her. Maddy felt stupider than ever, and didn't blame him for saying what he had. Her mother, while obviously meaning well, had helped to fuck things up considerably.

After sitting there for quite some time, Maddy was sick of thinking about everything. Then she realized it was pitch dark outside. A feeling of dread had lodged itself in the pit of her stomach, but she supposed she should return to Grimmauld Place and face Sirius once more, if he was even there. Taking one last swig of firewhiskey, she rose from the booth, giving the barman a half-hearted wave of goodbye, and walked unsteadily out the door. She looked around, thinking she would apparate from here, and saw no one. Summoning her courage, Maddy exited Hogsmeade in the blink of an eye and reappeared close to Number Twelve. She waited for the house to emerge, and then quickly walked up the steps and through the door.

Her eyes adjusted to the dim hallway, and she listened for any noise to indicate that Sirius was here. Hearing nothing, Maddy sighed and figured, in her tipsy state, that it was a perfectly good time for something else to drink. She walked down the stairs to the kitchen, which was dimly lit, as well. She found a bottle of wine, and with a tap of her wand, the cork came out. She grabbed a glass and the full bottle, and headed up to her room. Her _new_ room, she thought morosely. She had become so used to Sirius' warm body curled up next to hers, the thought of sleeping alone was immensely depressing.

Once in the bedroom, Maddy gravitated over to the picture of Sirius and his friends, observing only him. He seemed to have an air of contentment there that he probably only got when around his mates. He was rather good-looking, even at that age, and she mentally compared him to the fully grown man she knew. She thought, despite everything he had endured, he was still very handsome to her, though perhaps in a more rugged way than he should have been. Not a smooth, polished look that this dark-haired boy seemed to suggest.

Struck with a wave of melancholy, Maddy found that she missed Sirius terribly already. She decided that, much as she dreaded the prospect of his wrath, she desperately needed to find and try to talk to him.

She added some more wine to her glass, and walked out of the bedroom with her heart hammering in her throat. It wasn't very late, and perfectly logical that Sirius might still be out somewhere, but she went to the bedroom they had shared first, to be sure he wasn't in there. Walking softly up the stairs to the next landing, she turned the corner and went to the door, which was closed. She listened for a moment, but heard nothing. Finally, Maddy knocked softly. There was no answer at first, and she knocked one more time before giving up. But as she turned away, the door opened. She turned back to see Sirius holding a book, looking coldly at her.

"Did I not tell you I didn't want to see you?" he said quietly.

"You did. If you don't mind, though, I would like to speak to you for a minute."

"But I do mind. What else can you possibly say that would make a difference?" he looked challengingly at her.

"Nothing, I suppose. I want to apologize to you, though, again. I'm very sorry, Sirius. I love you and I wish I could make it better."

"Bit late for _that_, isn't it? You would've just kept doing that sort of thing if I hadn't asked enough questions and found out. Wouldn't you?"

"No. I wouldn't. I told you because I felt awful about it," Maddy said miserably.

"Well, the problem is, I can't exactly trust you, can I?" he muttered.

She was immensely stung by his words. "Is that what you really think, after all this time?"

"Yeah," Sirius said nastily. "Now. Leave me." He began to close the door.

"I'd like that letter from my mum, if you don't mind," Maddy managed to say before he had completely shut it in her face.

He shrugged. "I don't want the damned thing. Be my guest." He walked out of view to the wardrobe and yanked something off a high shelf. Coming back to the door, he thrust it in her hands. Without another word, he closed the door, leaving her to stand alone in the hallway.

When Maddy reached her room again, she sat on the edge of the bed and opened the envelope. A single page was inside, and she pulled it out carefully, not wanting to rip it in her haste to read. Then she saw her mother's familiar handwriting flowing across the page. Maddy re-read the letter and carefully folded it back its envelope. Then she slid off the side of the bed into the floor and cried, yet again, for the loss of her mother, and for losing Sirius.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

A few days later, in a completely different part of England, a man sat patiently, concealed, watching a tiny house. Thin wisps of smoke rose lazily from the chimney into the frigid air but there were otherwise no signs of life. He checked his watch impatiently, then sighed to himself. Malfoy was constantly reminding him, in his infuriatingly superior manner, to exercise more self-control as befitted a Death Eater. But William wanted to get this over with. He had spent too many months planning a capture, and the Dark Lord had long since dismissed him as merely a bootlicking lackey. He was determined to reverse that attitude, and once he and Vic managed to present his dear sister for Lord Voldemort's use, things would be much improved. He thought back to the summer, when Maddy had been moved to Grimmauld Place under the care of that idiotic wizard, Black. If Vic had only kept her mouth shut back then, this might have been long since over. But she had to go and make some ridiculous comment, borne of jealousy, right in front of Maddy, blowing her cover royally. William knew that she had grown rather attracted to the dark-haired wizard, though she would never admit it. He also knew she would have been more than willing to sleep with Black, had it come down to that. _Only to benefit the Dark Lord_, she had insisted once, unconvincingly, and he now rolled his eyes. If _he _could just get in good with the Dark Lord, he didn't really care who she shagged. Regrettably, though, the plan to use Black didn't work out after all, and months later, he was still hovering outside the fringes of the Dark Lord's circle of favor. And that circle was growing ever more elusive, especially now that Bellatrix was back and practically aching to give Voldemort a blow job, William thought, laughing to himself. _She_ was the original sycophant.

Then a movement caught his eye, and he glanced up to see a middle-aged woman emerging from the cottage. She was humming to herself as she closed the door behind her. She shuffled down the sidewalk, deep in thought and oblivious to anything around her, much less the silent wizard watching her every move. William continued to look after her until she had ambled down the road to do her daily shopping errands some streets over in the middle of the village. He looked around but saw no one else outside. Now was his chance, he thought as he rose, wincing at the pain in his joints, stiffened by crouching in one position for so long.

He reached for the doorknob, which was unlocked, and pushed the door open. The smell of fresh lavender filled his nostrils and he had a sudden unwelcome memory of his mother and her blasted stillroom, with bunches of herbs hanging from the ceiling. The smell had never completely dissipated, despite his efforts. But he certainly didn't want to be thinking of his mother now. Even in death, the nosy old hag had done her best to interfere with his plans, arranging for a letter to be sent to Malfoy to be given to William, who was still in hiding. She had begged him pitifully to leave her precious daughter alone. William snorted and mentally waved the memory away. He had to say, though, he was impressed at his mother's talents at divining his link to Malfoy. It made him that much more confident in Maddy's abilities.

A soft, feeble voice of an old woman reached his ears. "Elphie, are you back already?"

It came from the rear of the house, where William knew the elderly woman resided. His heart suddenly beat faster with excitement at the thought that he was going to kill her. He didn't know this old crone whatsoever, but he had assessed his plan thoroughly and fervently believed that, with Malfoy's influence at Hogwarts and the Ministry, things would fall into place and he would be that much closer to taking Maddy. The silly girl had already given him a little gift, of sorts, already, which should make this work more handily. According to Kreacher, who dutifully reported to Narcissa everything he saw at Grimmauld Place, Maddy and Black were having problems. Kreacher gleefully described a huge argument that had taken place between them. Something about dreams, whatever that meant. The old house elf was rather hard to understand at times, but Will couldn't fault his hatred of anything to do with Sirius Black. According to Kreacher, they were no longer sleeping together, and Black refused to even _speak_ to her, though she had apparently begged him to forgive whatever indiscretion she had committed.

These thoughts flew around William's mind as he slowly made his way to the back bedroom where Elphie's mother resided. The voice grew louder now.

"Elphina? Where are you?"

He calmly took out his wand and, taking a deep breath, walked through an open doorway into the elderly woman's quarters, where she was resting on her bed with a book in one hand. She looked up in astonishment, and then fear, to see the unfamiliar man standing there, and her hand flew to the bedside table in a futile attempt to take her wand.

"_Avada Kedavra_," he said quietly, flicking his own instrument at her and relishing the feeling of power as a burst of energy was discharged, forcing the life to drain from her body. She slumped over at once, dead. William didn't waste any time hanging around, but quickly apparated back home.


	20. Is Lost Forever

It was Saturday, and a freezing cold day in January. Sirius sat, bundled up, on the headstone opposite James and Lily's. He paid no attention to the frigid air. Typically he took the opportunity to mentally air grievances, ask for advice, or just ramble on in general. But his mind was silent for now. He stared at the engraved letters, which he had memorized long ago. Something about this place brought him comfort that talking to Remus never did. Only James' lifeless bones lay beneath the earth, but he still felt as though his friend was there with him.

He was still for quite a long time. He didn't really know where to start today. Too many emotions, all of them contradictory, were floating around in his mind. _Madeleine. _Well, where to start with _her_? For one thing, he thought angrily, Madeleine knew as well as anyone that legilimency was a very sticky subject among wizards. Ferreting about in someone's mind was such a blatant invasion of privacy that laws to prevent it had been discussed more than once. The concept was too nebulous to do much about, however, and thus nothing was ever resolved among lawmakers. How did one really prove that a wizard had done it, anyway? It was really more a question of consideration. She had _none_ for him, apparently. He had been harboring such a foul mood ever since her revelation that he refused to even speak to her. She had tried to approach him whenever possible, only to be curtly brushed off. Since the previous morning, though, she seemed to have given up. It was the last time he had seen her.

Sirius thought back to his dream from almost a week ago, the one that had started all this. He was hesitant to admit it, but one thing that really rankled him about the whole mess was that Madeleine _kept _seeing him at his most vulnerable, and she always felt the need to save him. The thought alone made him feel guilty at the same time, since he _had_ come within a hair's breadth of actually dying once. If it hadn't been for her then, he wouldn't be around today. Nor free. Despite _Snivellus'_ actions on his behalf, Sirius knew that Madeleine and Albus were really the driving forces in capturing Pettigrew and exposing him. Which brought him back to the concept of the_ sight_, and how much her visions scared him.

He couldn't pin down exactly what was so intimidating about the sight that she possessed. Perhaps he felt as though once she had the visions, nothing could be altered. He didn't enjoy feeling as though the prospect of marriage, for example, was inevitable and beyond his control. Not that imagining himself married to Madeleine wasn't a pleasurable thought, or hadn't been until recently. But did their presence mean said event would take place no matter what he wanted?

_James,_ he thought with resignation.

There was silence. Then, a patient _Y__eeees_?

_What do I do now?_

_Padfoot, you're asking me something I can't answer, for a change._

_James, _Sirius continued desperately, _you've got to help me. I think ... I think Madeleine's not who I thought she was._

_Sirius, _James replied, more sternly, _you're bailing now?_

_You don't understand, do you? She committed a gross violation of the wizarding code of conduct, and with ... not just anyone ... _me!_ I can't trust her. What if she were to keep doing it?_

_Right, Padfoot. _James scratched his imaginary chin in thought. _What exactly did she do? Legilimency, was it? That's a tough one._

_You're a lot of help. Thanks, mate. She did some sort of out-of-body thing to get in my dreams. Weird._

_Really, Pads. It's not a simple yes or no, kick-her-to-the-curb kind of answer. You know she loves you._

_I _thought_ she did. _Sirius was still indignant.

_C'mon_, replied James. _Doing that a few times doesn't mean she doesn't love you. Do you love _her_ still?_

Sirius paused. _I don't know. _But he was lying. The truth was, he did still love her, _and_ he missed her; he just had no idea how to get past this.

_That serious, huh? Sorry, mate. I'm not much help. Consider this, though: she helped to save your life. She didn't even know you then. And by your own admission, you weren't very nice to her when she came to stay with you. Wasn't that when she did the legil ... thingy to begin with? Then she stopped, correct?_

_Maybe, _Sirius thought with gritted teeth. _Your point?_

_My point, dearest, is that you should – number one – consider her motives. She wasn't trying to read your mind, at least, am I right? _James tossed an imaginary quaffle into the air as he reasoned with Sirius.

_I suppose not. She was getting into my dreams, like I said, to influence them. Wanting me to like her, so I would talk to her. Maybe to, um, seduce me?_

_Heavenly. Things could be worse. The next time? _

_Same. _

_And the next?_

_I was having the mother of all shitty dreams. She claimed she couldn't wake me. Got inside my head to comfort me._

_Did it help?_

Sirius was silent.

_Well? _James pressed.

_Yeah, it did. It felt ... good._

_So at least she didn't mean any harm._

_Well, no ... but it was in _my_ head! Am I allowed no privacy?? _Sirius was angry once more.

_And then ... what? She apologized. She felt bad about it. Pretty fucking lousy, in fact._

_Yes, apparently._

_You can't forgive her this? Sorry to disappoint you, Padfoot, but nobody's perfect. I seem to remember many youthful indiscretions, even on _your_ part. Did you ever apologize to Snivellus that time you almost got him killed? I had to step in, I believe. So ...were lives lost amongst all this drama with Madeleine?_

_Prongs, you're getting on my nerves. _

_Too bad. I'm not giving you a free pass to fuck up a relationship with a woman you claim to love. I'm sure Madeleine's worth forgiving. Have you even talked to her?_

_No. Haven't felt much like it_, Sirius thought sullenly.

_A-ha. Silent treatment? Right. Here's another thing I remember. Do you recall those conversations we used to have about your, er, slightly dysfunctional family?_

_No. _

Sirius was wishing he hadn't bothered coming here now. But James wasn't finished.

_Your mother, who wouldn't speak to you for days whenever you made some minor little kid mistake. Her way of punishing you. Are you sure you're not doing that with Madeleine? Repeating the pattern? Because I'm sure you remember how great that made you feel._

_Yeah, yeah, Prongs. The thing is, I can't _bring_ myself to speak to her. I feel as though she betrayed me. I don't even know what to say. _

_Calm down for a while, then. At least tell her you will talk about it later._

Sirius shrugged. _I have to be getting back. Thanks for ...whatever you call that._

_Advice, mate. Heed my words, _James admonished, and then he was silent.

Sighing, Sirius pushed himself off the tombstone and, with one last glance at the Potters' grave, he said his goodbyes and disapparated back to Grimmauld Place.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Once Sirius had arrived back at the house, he steeled himself to speak to Maddy. First, he went to his old bedroom, which she occupied once again. After knocking a few times with no answer, he tentatively opened the door.

"Madeleine?" he asked quietly as he looked in.

There was only silence, and he noticed something curious about the room. It was abnormally clean. Madeleine wasn't a very cluttery person to begin with, but he saw none of her belongings whatsoever.

He walked into the room with a sense of foreboding. Something was wrong here.

"Madeleine?" he called again, but he knew there would be no answer. He walked over to the wardrobe and opened it. It was empty.

"Oh, God," he muttered, now striding into the bathroom. It was immaculate, with no toiletries lying on the basin or in the tub to indicate that Maddy was still in residence.

"Shit!" Sirius said, now feeling desperate. He walked back to the bedroom to search for some kind of note which might tell him where she had gone. There was nothing, though. Then a horrible thought struck him. What if her brother had managed to find and take her? But, he quickly argued to himself, that wouldn't explain why everything was gone. He dismissed that notion for the time being, though a different fear had replaced it.

Perhaps she had left something in another room. He quickly left the bedroom, rushing downstairs to the drawing room. It was empty, as well, though the tattered copy of _Pride and Prejudice _remained in Maddy's usual chair, as if she had forgotten it. Sirius picked it up and flipped through it. He expected no clues to her disappearance, and found none. A wave of sadness began to creep through his body, and he figured he could try the kitchen, at least, hoping like hell to find her down there drinking a glass of wine.

As he descended to the basement, the kitchen came into view, and also the presence of a person sitting at the table with their back to him. He bounded down the last few steps faster, only to halt abruptly when he realized it wasn't even Maddy sitting there, but Severus Snape. Snape sat, calm and relaxed, in Sirius' usual chair. He was holding a drink, as if he had been waiting patiently for the other wizard to arrive.

"Snape. Why are _you_ here?" Sirius asked with a sneer, then mentally checked himself. _Snivellus_ might not volunteer any information if he didn't watch his mouth.

Snape seemed to have the same idea, for his lip curled into a nasty half-smile. "_So_ rude, Black. As it turns out, I have had business here today. You certainly took your time returning. Poor Maddy has had no idea where you were the past few days."

He took a sip of dark liquid from one of Sirius' own wine glasses, pursed his lips contentedly, and said no more. He was going to enjoy this very much.

"Where is Madeleine?" Sirius finally asked.

"What? You don't know? I thought for sure she would tell _you_, Black. Aren't you – or perhaps, _weren't_ you – her little boyfriend? But it seems she waited around for quite some time before giving up any hope that you might return."

"What happened to her?" Sirius asked again, more urgently. He was already tired of Snivellus' games, and suppressed the desire to throttle him.

Snape finally got to the point. "She has left your lovely home ... for good, if she's halfway intelligent, and come to her senses. She has returned to Hogwarts to teach."

"_Hogwarts_? What are you talking about?"

Snape sighed noisily, as if this shouldn't be news to Sirius. "Professor Vector's mother died unexpectedly earlier this week. Septima asked Dumbledore for an extended leave of absence, until the end of term, to put her mother's affairs in order. Although I suspect that the presence of Dolores Umbridge at the school has more to do with it than Vector will admit," he added as an aside, before continuing. "Supposedly, Umbridge _encouraged_ her to take the time off.

"And since you don't seem to be around much these days, you may have missed Dumbledore's little visit yesterday, when he asked Maddy to take over as Arithmancy professor until Vector's return next fall. She didn't have to think about it for very long, of course, considering..." He smirked as he relayed this information.

Sirius stood, dumbstruck. Maddy had just _left_ him with no warning whatsoever. But then a huge sense of guilt suddenly swept over him when he thought about the previous week. What did he expect? He had been absent from Grimmauld Place much of the time to avoid being around her, and then spent the previous evening in the Leaky Cauldron in rare form after a few firewhiskeys, even inviting advances from a few witches, though nothing had happened as a result. Well, _yet_, anyway. One of them had caught his eye, and he had gone so far as to set up a date with her out of spite, which he immediately regretted. And apparently Maddy had spent that time waiting on his return, to tell him she was leaving. And then first thing today, he had been gone again, to any place he felt like wandering, until he had wound up at James and Lily's graves. Merlin, how stupid he was.

Snape sat, smugly watching Sirius struggling with his thoughts before speaking again.

"Well, I believe I'll go now. I only came back to finish transporting her belongings to the school." _And to torture you_, he thought with relish. He stood up, and Sirius watched him make preparations to apparate. Finally Snape thought of something suitably nasty to say as a parting shot.

"Have fun on your little date, by the way."

Sirius looked sharply at him. "What?" he snapped.

"Word has it you've hit on a few witches already. One of them was bragging to everyone around her that she had managed to, how did she put it, score an evening with you?" He enunciated each word slowly and with distaste. "You should be more discreet when you want to cheat on your girlfriend. The wizarding community _is _a small one, you know. It was only last night, after all, and even _I've_ already heard about it. But, then, I suppose she's no longer yours, eh? So it probably doesn't matter."

Sirius wanted desperately to ask him if Maddy knew about the date, but the look of triumph on Snape's face gave him the answer to _that_ question. Before he could think of something suitable to come back with, Snape had disapparated with a flourish of his wand, the smug grin still lingering on his face.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The Three Broomsticks was the last place Maddy wanted to be, aside from the castle itself, but it was here that she had agreed to rejoin Severus before taking the last tiny leg of her journey to Hogwarts. She wasted no time in ordering a firewhiskey from the bar. It was fortunate that an unfamiliar barkeep took her order, for she had no wish for conversation with the owner, under the circumstances.

Once Maddy had her drink in hand, she located a small table, off to itself, and sat for several minutes contemplating recent unhappy developments. At the top of the list was the latest report of Sirius' impending date with some bloody whore. Damn the man, he hadn't exactly waited very long, had he? Her sadness was quickly displaced with a burning jealousy for whatever disgusting trollop he was seeing. Unwanted images of Sirius, naked and passionate with some other witch, burned as hot in her mind as the firewhiskey she was consuming. She began to imagine taking her wand and performing some unforgivable curse to his bits, _and_ the woman's, and took a quick swig of her drink in anger. It was downed quickly after that, and she held up the glass impatiently once the barkeep looked her way again. A few minutes later, she had a second firewhiskey in her hand. Lost in miserable thoughts, she didn't notice the buxom owner of the Three Broomsticks coming her way.

"Well, hello, Maddy! How are you?" Madame Rosmerta's voice boomed in greeting.

Maddy wanted nothing more than to grab the firewhiskey that sat on the table and shrink down in the chair as several heads turned in her direction. But she managed a wan smile.

"Alright, I s'pose," she replied. She hoped that supplying brief answers might persuade the owner of the Three Broomsticks to move on to other patrons, leaving her alone with her thoughts. But Rosmerta seemed in no mood to go away.

"And how's that devil Sirius?" she went on, grinning widely.

"Oh, he's fine." _Devil, my arse_, she thought evilly. _You don't know the half of it._

"Where is he tonight?" the barmaid continued good-naturedly.

Maddy wished like hell that Severus would be here by now to escort her to the castle and put a quick end to these questions. She finally shrugged, however, and bit the bullet.

"In London, I expect. We're not seeing each other anymore." She tried to sound indifferent, but was dangerously close to tears all of a sudden at saying the words out loud.

Rosmerta seemed to understand. "Oh. Oh, dear. I'm so sorry," she replied, more somberly. "Well, I won't bother you anymore, sweetie. I can tell you're not in a mood to talk. You alright, though?" She eyed Maddy's iron grip on her firewhiskey with speculation.

"Oh, yeah. I'm back at Hogwarts." This time her eyes did water, and she cursed herself silently for being such a weakling.

Rosmerta noticed and patted her softly on the back. "Ah. I heard about Septima Vector's mother. I take it you're subbing for her?" She tapped her wand, producing a tissue, and handed it to Maddy.

"I am. Until the end of the school year." Maddy dabbed at her eyes with it and sniffed slightly.

"Well, dear, you let me know if I can do anything at all. And that includes kicking Sirius Black's bony arse, if you'd like-" Her speech stopped abruptly as a blast of cold air burst into the pub, and Severus Snape entered.

"Oh my goodness! Ol' Severus Snape in the Three Broomsticks. Will wonders never cease?"

Snape looked haughtily around the room until he spied Maddy and Rosmerta. He made his way over, taking care not to touch any other patrons on the way.

"Merlin, speaking of broomsticks and arses, he's always got one up his, doesn't he?" the barmaid muttered out of the side of her mouth.

Maddy had to giggle slightly at this description, in spite of her mood, and Rosmerta seemed encouraged by it.

"That's it, girl. You need to laugh, especially if it's at _his_ expense," she added, nodding toward Snape, who narrowed his eyes at the gesture as he approached.

Snape made no move to sit, but merely stared down his nose at Maddy, who was still nursing the firewhiskey morosely.

"Ready to go, O'Hannon?" he asked in a bored tone. He ignored Rosmerta, who raised an eyebrow at him in disgust.

Maddy stood up slowly. "I guess." She downed the rest of her drink and reached for her purse to pay. Rosmerta held up a hand, though.

"Don't worry about it, m'dear. You come back anytime you want to get away from that place, okay? Here, let me give you a hug."

She held Maddy in a manner that seemed an uncanny likeness of her late mother's embrace, making her grow teary-eyed once more. Snape watched, with one corner of his mouth cocked downward in a signal of impatience, but he said nothing.

"Thanks, Rosmerta," Maddy said as she sniffled again, and she rose unsteadily to leave.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hogwarts seemed, for the first time in Maddy's estimation, to be an extremely bleak and imposing structure. She looked up, craning her neck to examine the tallest turrets which cast a sinister outline against the steel grey sky, and felt a wave of hopelessness wash over her. Now that the castle was in sight, it seemed to seal the permanence of her break with Sirius. She had been confronted with so many conflicting emotions; sadness and jealousy upon finding out he was already seeking out other women, guilt for her stupidity, anger at Sirius' refusal to forgive her or even speak to her, and powerlessness at having to hide from her brother. Now they all seemed to converge and form a large dark mass of ambivalence and increasing numbness in her heart.

"Ready?" Snape's low mocking voice came from behind. "Let me give you a few pointers before we go inside, as Umbridge seems to have ears everywhere in there. Number one: do not provoke her. Her nosy interference is bad enough without you doing something foolish to make it worse for all of us. Number two: obvious, but I should mention it. Say nothing about the Order, or _Black_, as if you'd want to." He emitted a tiny snort to indicate he knew and understood all about her problems with _him_.

Maddy hiccoughed. "Don't worry," she said bitterly, still staring up at Hogwarts as they walked up the path. She wondered if Dolores Umbridge was looking down on her from some window, examining her. Wouldn't surprise her. She also hoped that there wouldn't be too many questions from the students who had been at Grimmauld Place. She didn't think she could talk about it anytime soon.

Snape interrupted her thoughts again. "Dumbledore asked to see you once you got settled in. I wouldn't make that public, either. Go to his office before doing anything else. Though you might sober up a bit first," he added disdainfully.

She nodded briefly, and couldn't help using her fingers to reach and feel the rough silver square and tiny diamonds on the necklace that Sirius had given her for Christmas. Maddy had no desire to remove it, despite what had happened. It would be like severing the last tiny link they shared, and she wasn't ready for that yet.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

It was early in the evening at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Sirius trudged up to his room, holding a glass of firewhiskey and the tattered paperback Maddy had forgotten when she left. By the time he had reached the top step, however, he had decided he didn't want the drink after all. Indulging in too much of that stuff had gotten him into trouble already. He thought back to Friday evening, and cringed when he remembered his ridiculous behavior. And now Madeleine knew what he had done. Christ, no wonder she had gone.

He walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He wanted to see none of Kreacher this evening. Everything he'd had with Madeleine was now finished, in an instant, it seemed. Taking an ancient pocketwatch out of his waistcoat, Sirius fingered it for a moment as he checked the time. It was still early yet, but he felt like doing nothing aside from turning in. He clicked the watch shut and glanced over at the unmade bed, with covers looking rumpled, as though they had been kicked viciously the previous night. He now laid down, not bothering to remove any clothing, and immediately detected the odor of stale cigarette smoke left over from his foray the previous night into the Leaky Cauldron. Leaning over to the bedside table, he halfheartedly grabbed his wand and flicked it on the bed, hoping to get rid of the smell. Then, as he plumped his pillow, Sirius heard the crunch of paper underneath it. Confused, he repeated the motion, and noticed the same thing again. He felt around under it, and pulled out an envelope containing a lone sheet of parchment inside, scrawled quickly, it appeared. No name was listed as addressee, but Sirius knew at once that it was for him. He pulled it out and read it slowly, though his heart sank with each bitter word.

_I suppose you'll already know I've gone by the time you read this. Assuming Kreacher hasn't stolen it. I put it under the sheets of your bed so he wouldn't know about it. Anyway, in spite of everything, I can't bring myself to walk away without saying something in the way of goodbye. _

_Here's the conclusion of my thoughts as I spent most of the week alone while you were gone who knows where. You are one cold and unforgiving person. You've enjoyed inflicting pain on me, haven't you? Well, I've had enough. I asked you repeatedly to forgive me, but you held that lapse in judgement over my head regardless, doing your dead-level best to make me feel like shit. And then Severus told me you've already planned on going out with someone else. Didn't take you long to replace _me_, did it? Glad to know I meant so much to you. _

_Not that you asked, but here's my plan. I'm going to finish out this year at Hogwarts. Then I'm going to find William and Victoria and end this ridiculous business once and for all, no matter who is left standing. If it's me, I'm leaving the country. No more Order, no more Britain. I'm finished here. I am absolutely sick of hiding from him and I do not care where I go. But I will find someone, somewhere in the world, who will help me stop having these stupid visions. I don't like having them; I never liked having them. I don't really believe in them, either. Did it ever occur to you that they scare the hell out of me as well...not just you? Not that you ever thought about the effect they had on me. So afraid you were over the god-awful prospect of marrying me, I suppose._

_Have a wonderful life, Sirius. One that you wouldn't have had otherwise._

The note wasn't signed. Sirius couldn't bring himself to read it more than once, but laid it gently on the bedside table and put out the light. Then he lay awake for several hours, staring at the ceiling.


	21. Return to Hogwarts

"Severus told me what happened," Professor Dumbledore commented in a neutral manner, though he observed the witch sitting across from him with some concern.

They were sitting in his office late Saturday night, the same day that particular witch had traveled to Hogwarts. Feeling physically and mentally exhausted, Maddy only stared at her hands, which rested in her lap. At his words, she shrugged slightly and looked up at him, but showed no emotion. She had shed enough tears by now that she felt completely dried up, for the moment, at least. There was a brief silence, and then she spoke.

"Is there someone I can talk to here, besides Sybil Trelawney?"

His brow furled. "What exactly do you need?"

"I want to get rid of these visions. I keep having them, and if I don't stop ..." Maddy shrugged again and left the sentence unfinished. _I'll go mad,_ she thought.

Albus realized what she meant, though, and nodded.

"I'm afraid Sybil Trelawney is the only game in town here as far as divination matters are concerned. For the moment, anyway." His face held a wry expression but he didn't elaborate on his last statement.

Then he continued. "Are you alright, Madeleine? Well," he amended, "I know you wouldn't classify yourself as _alright._ But would you like to talk about it?"

Maddy didn't feel much like discussing her love life with Professor Dumbledore, but at the same time, she felt an overwhelming urge to open up to _somebody_. At least the headmaster already knew about much of her history, as well as the issue which had driven a wedge between herself and Sirius. She began, haltingly, to tell him what had happened. Why she had gotten into his mind once more, and her guilt about it. Telling him what she had done, and the hostile silence that had come over him as a result. By the time she was done, she was surprisingly still dry-eyed, but Albus could tell her heart was breaking.

"I'm so sorry to hear this. I know how much you love him." He wasn't one to bother with vague platitudes that he knew weren't helpful.

"And the worst thing, or the _latest_ worst thing, anyway," she rolled her eyes as she spoke, "is that I had the same stupid vision this morning when I awoke that I had when I was ten. All it did was rub salt in the wound. We were together, married, with a son and I was pregnant. And Sirius talked to the unborn baby. This time, though, I heard every word he said."

Albus' interest was piqued. "Do you mind telling me about that? Of course, if you don't want to, I understand."

"I've been thinking about it all day. Is there a way I can keep the memory in your pensieve over there?" She nodded toward the stone basin. "I could add it to the others that don't make sense, if you still have them." She shot him a twisted smile.

"Of course I have them, though they're now bottled and locked up. Let's put your latest one in there, though, and take a look."

He stood and walked over to the instrument, holding his wand. Maddy followed, standing next to it. Albus took the wand, instructing her to think about the vision, and managed to look inside her until he was satisfied that he would be extracting the correct one. He could see a rippled image of Sirius' face, and Maddy looking affectionately down at him. He immediately pulled back with his wand, and a long silvery strand followed. With a practiced flick of his wrist, the strand was added to the swirling contents of the basin. Maddy looked down on it.

"Can you stand seeing it once more? I'd like to, myself, but only if you don't mind."

She nodded slightly. He took her hand and they peered closely at the revolving memories. Hers, freshly added, required no stirring to locate. They both fell into the image, and found themselves standing on a grassy hill with a house close by. It appeared to be off to itself, out in the country. The vision Maddy was lying on the grass, propped up on her elbows and appeared to be about eight months gone with pregnancy. Sirius sat next to her, and they were both silent at first as they watched their son running and giggling at his own antics.

Dumbledore listened to everything Sirius said, and when he looked over at Maddy standing next to him, he saw that she was watching Sirius' face intently, drinking in the image. Once the vision was finished, they stood next to the basin once more.

"Did that mean anything to you?" Maddy asked sarcastically, though she sniffled a little.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Absolutely. You didn't understand what Sirius was doing?"

"I guess," she said. "It's complete bullshit, though, in my opinion. Like it gives me false hope or something."

"After everything, you don't believe it might come true?" he asked her gently. "Listen to me, Madeleine. You know I am a very practical person. I certainly don't believe in putting too much faith in things such as this, as I have told you before. At the same time, I must concede that you have an unusual ability. One that Sybil doesn't have ... at least, most of the time. Don't you think that it would be a good idea to speak to Sirius again?"

"Good God! Do you think I haven't tried?! I am _finished_ speaking to him! If he loved me, he wouldn't treat me the way he has!"

Now tears flowed down her cheeks freely. Dumbledore thought before speaking again.

"I'm sorry. That was the wrong thing to say. You know, I'm by no means making excuses for Sirius, but do you think, perhaps, this is the only way he knows how to deal with problems?"

"No, I don't! I didn't exactly have a wonderful childhood, either! But I wouldn't treat _him_ like that."

"I know you wouldn't," Albus replied. "Forgive me for suggesting it. Let's change the subject."

He began to tell her about the High Inquisitor, and the Ministry's interference with his own job and his subordinates.

"So, Madeleine," Dumbledore finished by saying, "it is in your best interest that you say nothing about the Order, nor your relationship with Sirius. Dolores Umbridge is extremely intrusive and will stop at nothing in her zeal to discredit anyone who tries to say that Voldemort has returned. All at the behest of the Minister for Magic."

Maddy understood that. "But why does Sirius matter to them? Surely they don't still have it in for _him_, do they?"

"They don't have a leg to stand on where Sirius is concerned. But as Bellatrix Lestrange is his cousin and it's known that Sirius was in the first Order, Cornelius would like to keep an eye on him if possible. Mainly out of sheer nosiness. It hasn't been easy for them, at least, given that Sirius has been at Grimmauld Place and the house is invisible to any of them. Were I you, I would expect Umbridge to ask many questions about him, which may be why she wanted you here in the first place. Perhaps your best course of action is to downplay your relationship; act as if he means nothing to you now. No point in giving the ministry any ammunition.

"Now, Madeleine, I know that you do not want to be here, and I completely understand. You were Umbridge's first pick at filling the position, however, and one of only a few qualified for it. I think you'll be fine if you just stay out of her way. And summer will be here before you know it."

The comment about summer wasn't a comfort. It only reminded Maddy of what she had written to Sirius about finding her brother. For all she knew, she might not be around after that. She didn't mention it, however. Instead, she looked piercingly at Albus for a moment. There was something else she had been wanting to ask him, but she wasn't sure how to begin.

"I want something useful to do, Albus."

He raised his eyebrows. "Well, I'd think teaching Arithmancy is plenty useful enough, isn't it? I'm not sure what you mean."

"What I _mean_," Maddy continued, "is that I hid in a house, being sheltered by a _useful_ member of the Order, for months. Not once did I ever do anything that helped."

"Of course you did," Albus said. "Perhaps the mundane things at headquarters don't seem like much, but everything is a help."

"I did nothing useful," she argued. "Other people are willing to risk their lives for this. I'm sure they all wondered why I was even there."

"You risked your life for one member. Put yourself willingly in danger for him more than once," he pointed out.

Maddy waved that comment away. "That was different. It had nothing to do with the Order. Give me something to do, Albus. I don't care what it is!"

Dumbledore thought for a moment, then answered. "There is _something_ you can do here. Though working out the details will be a bit tricky. And you'll want to think over the risks very clearly before you decide."

"Whatever it is, I'll do it," Maddy answered resolutely.

They talked at length about Maddy's assignment and how to implement it, and by the time she left Dumbledore's office, she felt that things were looking up, if only a tiny bit.

Once in bed, Maddy tossed and turned, and at one point put the lamp on to pull a picture of herself and Sirius out of her nightstand. It had been taken by Tonks a few months back, and was from one of their evenings out with the other couple. Sirius held her very close as they both smiled at the camera, before he turned to kiss her. Maddy looked at the image now with no expression. Then she shoved it back in the drawer and put the light back out.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Bright and early Monday morning, Maddy struggled to rise from bed, feeling as though she could easily lie there all day. But Umbridge had already sent for her, and after that was her first Arithmancy class, which she felt woefully unprepared for. She didn't care about that, however. Dealing with Dolores Umbridge was going to be the interesting thing. Maddy thought back to her little plan, concocted with Albus, and realized why Sirius enjoyed being such a rebel. It was going to be fun sticking it to the establishment. She felt a delicious rush of excitement, and her sorrow lifted slightly for the first time since things had gone bad with Sirius. She took care not to wear any traditional muggle clothes, but rather put on a long black dress and high boots and the nicest robes she owned. Her only concession was tossing the hat aside, which she had never liked wearing. Then she left her quarters and strode purposefully through the castle to meet the high inquisitor.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Well, Maddy, won't you have a seat?" Dolores Umbridge simpered, gesturing to a small chair across from her desk. Umbridge's own chair looked more like a throne, and she was hard to hear over the din of cats that meowed in their pictures on the wall. Maddy had to struggle not to laugh at the lilting girlish tone in the high inquisitor's voice, but she had been duly warned not to be deceived by it.

"Tea, dear?" Umbridge cocked her head.

"No, thank you," Maddy replied, "I've already had some."

After speaking to Albus, she decided it was best not to accept anything to drink. She didn't trust the woman an inch.

Umbridge hesitated but didn't press the matter. Instead, she took a tiny sip herself and began to talk.

"You are aware of the challenges we face here at Hogwarts today?"

"Well," Maddy said, "I have read quite a bit in the Daily Prophet."

"As a result, several teachers here, especially the older ones, have been ... not terribly cooperative toward me. But I believe you'll be different."

Maddy wondered why Umbridge felt that way, but she smiled.

"I'll do my best to help you anyway I can." _Better not lay it on too thick_, she thought.

"You'll know Harry Potter, I presume? He fancies himself quite the celebrity around here. Well, he and his little gang."

"Yes, I do know him," Maddy said, "and I quite agree." _God, _she was starting to sound just like the old toad.

"Up 'til now I've done a very good job of putting him in his place, but I could always use help. He's been coddled way too much by the other teachers, except perhaps for Professor Snape."

Maddy nodded, but could think of nothing to add to this. But then Umbridge changed the subject.

"Well, I hear you are, or perhaps, were, Sirius Black's girlfriend. Hope I'm not being too personal." Umbridge said, and quickly tittered.

Maddy guarded her expression as best she could.

"Yes, I _was_. Though, generally, I don't speak about my personal life much."

"Well, I hope you won't mind telling me a few tidbits about him sooner or later. _Such _an interesting character."

"Certainly," Maddy replied. "Just now, though, I'm about to be late for my first class, and I need some time to prepare beforehand."

"Oh, of course," Umbridge waved her stubby hand, covered in rings, and smiled, indicating that the interview was at an end. "We'll have all kinds of time to get to know each other better. You go on, now, dear."

"Thank you. It was very nice to finally meet you," Maddy said as she stood up. Unsure of whether she should shake the inquisitor's hand or not, she finally settled on a tiny wave of goodbye, and her robes flowed behind her as she exited the room. She could feel Umbridge's eyes boring into her back as she did, and knew that Umbridge _being personal_ was going to get a whole lot worse very soon.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

A few days later, Remus sat at the kitchen table, munching on a stale biscuit and reading the _Prophet_. Sirius pulled the cork out of a butterbeer and sat down heavily in his usual chair. He said nothing, after a few words of greeting, but only looked off into the distance at some fixed object that he didn't really see. He was quiet for quite some time, and Remus knew better than to be the person who brought up the topic of Maddy. His friend would talk when he was ready.

But then Sirius surprised him and spoke right away. "Go ahead and say it, Moony." He took a swig of his drink, which was coming in a distant second to his preferred firewhiskey.

Remus looked questioningly at him. "I have nothing to say."

"Oh, come on, you're dying to tell me what a git I am, aren't you?"

Remus considered his words carefully. "I wasn't going to tell you any such thing. I suppose you did what you thought was right."

"Well, how was I supposed to react?" Sirius set his bottle down a bit too hard, though Remus ignored the loud noise it made.

Remus sighed. "What happened exactly?"

Sirius filled him in on everything that had taken place since Remus' last visit. His friend listened while keeping his face expressionless.

Finally, Remus spoke again, though not about Maddy. "What are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"Well, you hate this place. Don't you want to move back to where you were?" Remus said it mildly, as usual, but figured his words would provoke some sort of reaction from Sirius.

"Oh, well … eventually, perhaps. The house I was renting isn't available now. Might be a while before I can find something suitable." He didn't want to admit that he was loathe to move away from the place where he had become acquainted and fallen in love with Madeleine. Once he did that, he was afraid that it would signal a point of no return. But what was he thinking? There would be no reconciliation. Still … he would stay where he was for now.

Remus watched various emotions flitting across his friend's face and knew that he was bothered by Maddy's absence much more than he wanted anyone to know. But then Sirius surprised him.

"I met someone the other night." He said it nonchalantly.

Remus' mouth dropped open in dismayed shock, and he couldn't help feeling a quick rush of anger. He threw the paper down in disgust.

"Oh, dear _God_, Sirius. That is so like you. You haven't changed a bit since you were twenty." The mild manner dropped immediately, replaced by bitter disapprobation.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Sirius asked coldly.

"Oh, you know _exactly _what it means. Merlin's beard. She hasn't been gone but a few days and you're already hellbent on replacing her. So typical. Can't you be alone for even ten minutes?"

Remus decided that, with this admission, he was done listening to Sirius for now. He felt a rush of protectiveness for Maddy, thinking how hurt she would be, and hoped like hell that she didn't know about this. He rose and tucked the paper under his arm, preparing to go. But then he thought of something else, and turned back.

"And another thing. Do you _ever_ think about the consequences of your actions?" he spat out, glaring at the other wizard. "Maddy would still be here if you bothered doing that once in a while."

"Y'know, I don't need this," Sirius said bitterly. "Not from you, at least."

"No," Remus corrected him. "_I_ don't need to listen to this. Go find yourself some meaningless trollop to shag and someone else to complain to about it. It won't make you forget your girlfriend, who still loves you, by the way."

"Loves me?" Sirius muttered sarcastically, feeling a rush of self-pity. "She had a peculiar way of showing it, didn't she?" He knew that his words sounded ridiculous and unfair even as he spoke them, and he regretted opening his mouth.

Remus gritted his teeth. "Yeah. Loved you enough to risk her neck for you once or twice, remember? But sadly, screwed up, as we all do. Well, everyone except for _you_, apparently. Speaking of that, I seem to remember you doing some less than honourable things in your time, as well,_ Padfoot_. See you around."

He stormed up the stairs and out the door, leaving Sirius sitting by himself, completely alone in Grimmauld Place.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius watched his friend leave, and then turned back around to sit in silence. There was a reason he had told Remus about the person he had met. In a strange way, he wanted to be told off about it. Despite his sangfroid, replacing Maddy with someone else so soon after her exit, he felt guilt deep in his heart. He knew she hadn't meant to hurt him, and she was immensely sorry about what she had done. It seemed his ire alternated with regret at how he had handled things, as well as the deep affection and hunger for her that he couldn't shake at will. The issue of Hogwarts and the death of Professor Vector's mother had been an unexpected and sad development, though. Sirius had wanted mainly to make Madeleine feel terrible about what she had done, not drive her to leave. But she had gone away, regardless, believing that he had nothing but contempt left for her. And now he had no idea when he might see her again, much less how to get her back.

His thoughts turned to Whats-her-name, whom he was meeting that evening, in the usual spot at the Leaky Cauldron. Unfortunately he had already forgotten what she called herself, and wasn't sure how to correct that problem. Hopefully she would happen to mention it, saving him any embarrassment. He was so ambivalent about the evening now, however, that he didn't really care how it went. Sirius hated to admit it, but Remus was absolutely right. This date was nothing but a rather misguided case of revenge directed at Madeleine. He wondered what she must be thinking now that she was back at the school and away from him.

Sirius considered Hogwarts, and Maddy's previous apprehension about the lake. It hadn't been that long since he had taken her there, back to the place where they had encountered each other long before. A surge of guilt shot through him when he remembered the fear in her eyes. Back when he was on the run, she had acted quickly to save him, not worrying about the fact that her own soul was in jeopardy. She had cradled him protectively under her body and almost died as a result. A line of verse came to him out of nowhere. Something about_ there being no greater love than this, someone laying down their life for a friend_. He couldn't remember it exactly, nor even where it came from, but it only added to his guilt. As he thought of Maddy, he decided to go up to the bedroom she had occupied just before leaving, and take a quick look around. He walked quickly up the stairs and around the corner. Then, hesitating only a second, Sirius opened the door.

Gone. Every trace of Madeleine had vanished from the cold, empty room, and it was as if she had never been here. What had he expected? he asked himself bitterly. He realized now, too late, that just as James said, he had behaved exactly as his despicable mother used to, punishing people for their indiscretions by means of cold, unforgiving silence. He had done that to Madeleine, and in the process had broken her heart. And according to Snape she had stayed as long as possible, deeply depressed and waiting on him to return so that she could say goodbye. But he had left Grimmauld Place for the weekend without even telling anyone where he was going.

Sirius sighed deeply and looked around the room once more. Perhaps, if he hunted a bit more, he could find something to ... what? Remember her by? He didn't know. But maybe it would take his mind off things for the moment. He stood and walked over to the desk that had been his as a teenager. Opening up a drawer randomly, he pushed aside brittle old quills and muggle biros with ink that had long since dried up. Nothing else of interest appeared, and he went to the one below it.

After examining the contents of each desk drawer and finding only an old journal of his, Sirius was already growing bored with this activity. Madeleine had left absolutely nothing behind, of course. He opened the first drawer again and looked idly at the few quills lying inside. He had a sudden recollection of a letter that she had told him she'd written after her recovery. Why had he never seen it? Surely he would have remembered _that_. Then the realization dawned on him that he had an entire assortment of letters somewhere in the house, received after being granted his freedom, that he had never even bothered to look at. Where the bloody hell had he put them all?

He left his old bedroom, heading back upstairs to his current living quarters. He remembered stuffing them into some sort of box, thinking that he would get round to throwing them out some other time. Hoping Kreacher hadn't beat him to it, Sirius flung open the doors to the ornate mahogany armoire and peered inside. A large shelf, expanded by magic, was on top of it, but he saw nothing that might be what he was looking for. He looked down in the bottom, shoving aside old shoes and clothing that had fallen off their hangers. The armoire space seemed to extend back much further than it looked on the outside, and he had practically climbed inside it by the time he found a large box, full of envelopes carelessly tossed inside.

He pulled it out, momentarily derailed by the prospect of examining them all. Sirius remembered owl after owl delivering these to him well over a year ago, and his exasperation that anyone bothered writing at all. In truth, he had only ever read one or two, having been disgusted that the authors now seemed to be backpedaling from previous public opinion. They all declared that they had always suspected his innocence, which he knew was complete bollocks. Nobody had ever thought him innocent, until the fact was shoved in their faces.

Sighing once more at the task ahead, Sirius took the big box and sat on the bed with it. One by one, he opened each letter and was surprised to find that he was touched by some of them. Even wizard children had written to him to say how much they admired his courage and ingenuity in escaping a place such as Azkaban and gaining his freedom. In fact, as Sirius looked at them, he hadn't thought he could feel much worse after Maddy left. After reading a few of these notes, however, he admitted that he had been a real shit not to have looked at them before.

After an hour of reading, Sirius stretched and looked at the bigger pile of opened letters on the bed. He was over half the way through, still scouring the unread pile in the box for Madeleine's handwriting. Then he saw it. Only his name on the envelope, in flowing handwriting. _Mr_. _Sirius Black_, with no address. In spite of the desire to rip it open immediately, he did so carefully, then slowly took out a few sheets of parchment.

Sirius sat back against the headboard and propped a pillow up behind him. Then he unfolded the parchment and began to read. The letter began haltingly.

_21 February 1995_

_Dear Mr. Black,_

_My name is Madeleine O'Hannon and I am a former professor of Arithmancy at Hogwarts. I felt the need to contact you because there are some unusual things that I would like to speak to you about, which are rather important to me, and hopefully to you as well. I don't really know where to start, so I'll just jump right in. In July of 1993, I came to see you in Azkaban. You probably don't remember, and I can't recall but a tiny bit of it myself. Dementors attacked us both and knocked us out. So unfortunately that memory is almost completely lost to me. The explanation for my visit is fairly complex but I'll try to give it to you in due course._

_Anyway, just after that, you escaped from Azkaban and had disappeared with no trace. I was teaching at Hogwarts at the time and was friends with Remus Lupin, who mentioned to me his former friendship with you. I'd had some experiences that were inexplicable to me, from the time I was a child and up to the present. I'll attempt to explain. One reason Arithmancy comes so easily to me is that I come from a long line of seers, well versed in divination. My mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and so on ... they were all accomplished at it. I'm no different, though my mum never trained me in the art (long story). For whatever reason (I hope you're still reading this) I see only you. I've no idea why. I know you and I did meet once when we were children. Mum mentioned it to me years ago. You were ten, I think, and I was four. That's not really any kind of explanation for this, but it's the best I can come up with. But the things I see are you, maybe a bit older, but you are always happy and in good health. I suppose this sounds like useless information on the surface. But during the year you were on the run and I was teaching, I wondered many times why I might see you that way. My mum and ancestors were usually pretty accurate in things they'd seen. So whenever I 'saw' you like that, I began to think there was a chance you would be eventually freed. I really had no idea of your guilt or innocence based on fact. But certain things about these visions led me to believe you might be innocent. And I'll admit to an intense curiosity about you, which is why I tried to visit you in prison. _

_I looked for you quite a bit that year. I had 'seen' you turn into a dog, Remus turn into a werewolf, and another man who transformed into a rat. If Remus was a werewolf, it must obviously be full moon, so I spent a lot of time outdoors at that time each month. The entire year passed, however, and I never ran across you. Until the very end. _

Sirius continued to read as Maddy bluntly described the dementor's kiss, and Harry's attempt, and ultimate failure, to save him. How she used a time turner and went back in her own small effort to keep them at bay until Harry's patronus did the job. The subsequent attack on her, nearly killing her but saving Sirius. The months she spent recuperating, having no idea where he was but urgently wanting to speak to him.

_Anyway, Sirius, I hope very much to see you again one day. And perhaps if these visions are remotely accurate, I will. But if not, I wish you a long and happy life. _

_Sincerely, _

_Maddy O'Hannon_

Sirius sat on the bed for a very long time, rereading Maddy's letter. Then he folded it slowly and returned it to its envelope, deciding that he had to find her, no matter what, and do his best to get her back.


	22. The Date, and Consequences

That evening, Sirius made a half-hearted attempt at looking nice. Then he set off for Diagon Alley, wanting desperately to skive off this date. The initial desire to meet up with some silly bird in the Cauldron was now replaced by an overwhelming need to keep moving along until he hit the off-license where he could pick some more Ogden's Old. In fact, he wished like crazy that he could contact the witch and cancel, but since her name currently remained a mystery, _that _would be impossible. He felt enough guilt about life in general just now and didn't want to add to his list by standing a woman up. Then he had a brainwave. He was a _wizard_, for crissakes. He decided that he would get this evening over with as soon as possible, see query mark home, and then apparate up to Hogsmeade and drown his sorrows in the Hog's Head. He had no desire to be seen in the Three Broomsticks, where Madame Rosmerta might ask embarrassing questions. Sirius told himself that Madeleine's close proximity to that location had nothing to do with wanting to go there. It was just a quiet, out-of-the-way place where everyone would leave him alone.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So, Sirius. What are you doing nowadays?" a petite, auburn-haired witch asked as she slid her plastic sword, which previously housed a piece of fruit, slowly in and out of her mouth. Ever since the beginning of this date, she had been going for the soft, seductive approach, hoping to land this intriguing wizard in her bed later if things went well. Sirius Black, the wizard in question, was having none of it, however, and looked around constantly for Tom the barman, or anyone else who might rescue him from this inane conversation. Tom had unfortunately steered clear of them after she had placed her drink order. It had taken him all of ten minutes to figure out exactly what a Sex on the Beach was, so used was he to orders of Butterbeer and firewhiskey, and the occasional muggle beer, which was stocked as well. Tom hoped she didn't order anything similarly confusing or frou-frou when_ that_ one ran out.

Sirius turned back to whats-her-name and gave her a tight smile. "Oh, nothing much. Just taking it easy, I guess."

"Right. What year did you leave Hogwarts?" she asked.

" 'Seventy-seven," he responded airily. "You?"

"Wow! I've only been out since 'ninety!" She looked impressed. "Did you guys have all the advanced spells back then?"

Sirius was increasingly sorry that he had ever thought taking this girl out was a good thing to do, but he managed to match her expression with one of similar awe.

"Oh ... yeah. We learned a few things, I suppose." He tried not to smirk as he took a drink.

She continued to talk about school, and various professors, including the detestable Snape, whom she had hated as much as anyone. Sirius wholeheartedly agreed with her, and made the mistake of saying he had been in school with _Snivellus_.

"Crikey, I didn't think you were that old!" she exclaimed.

"I'm not old!" Sirius retorted. "I'm thirty-six!"

"Well, I thought Snape looked like my dad's age back when _I_ was at Hogwarts! He's younger than I thought, then," she added, trying to salvage her faux-pas. Then she shifted topic.

"Well, you know that Azkaban thing?"

He was confused. "What?"

"I'd bet that the Ministry owed you plenty of galleons when they figured out their little mistake. I hope you made them pay up!"

Sirius stared at her. "Uh, what?" he repeated.

"Well, throwing you in Azkaban, of course, when you were innocent! That must have been awful." Her face screwed up in sympathy and she leaned forward. "Have you recovered?"

Sirius sighed inwardly. So it was going to be like this again. "Yeah. Definitely. Awful."

"Oh, dear," she commiserated. "That probably left all kinds of lasting scars."

Well, _yeah_. "Look, can we change the subject?" he asked, finishing his firewhiskey and motioning desperately for Tom to come and bring another one.

A movement at the other end of the bar caught his eye, and he glanced in that direction. His heart stopped when he saw Maddy perched on a barstool, chatting up a tall, dark-haired wizard who had his arm around her. But then he realized that it was actually another woman who, on closer inspection, didn't resemble Maddy very much at all. Relieved, Sirius turned his attention back to the witch sitting across from him, but it was all he could do to listen to her.

She put a hand on his. "Is there _any_ way I could help?" Whats-her-name's voice was now soft and alluring as she tried a bolder approach.

"With what?" Sirius asked, his brow wrinkling in confusion. He had kept thinking of Madeleine and was miles from the conversation.

"Y'know ... your unhappy memories."

"I think not," Sirius replied abruptly. "Listen, I'm afraid I'm going to have to -"

"Wotcher, Sirius!" a voice suddenly called out from across the room.

Sirius looked up to see Tonks and Remus sidling up to the bar. _Oh God_.

"Remus, look!" She nudged him and pointed over to Sirius.

Remus' inquisitive glance changed to one of amusement upon checking out Sirius' date, who had begun to caress his hand, though he tried to inch it away.

"Friends of yours?" Whats-her-name asked, looking curiously at Tonks' pink hair and tall frame, and the pale, lanky man who accompanied her. Tonks suddenly noticed the date as well, and her expression changed, growing somber as she realized what was going on. She walked over to Sirius, regardless, and stood looking down at the pair of them.

"Well, Sirius. Introduce us, why don't you?" Tonks said cheerfully, though she looked at Sirius with a challenge in her eyes.

Sirius sat there, thinking quickly. Then, with a burst of inspiration, he looked back at Tonks and pointed. "This is Nymphadora Tonks, a cousin of mine. Her, uh, boyfriend, Remus Lupin, a good friend of mine," he added, pointing to the werewolf. "And this," Sirius said, taking a break to consume the entire glass of firewhiskey that Tom had just set in front of him, "is a woman whose name is ... well, I have no fucking clue."

The unknown date looked confused, assuming that Sirius was joking. She started to laugh, then seemed to realize that perhaps he really _didn't_ know her name. Meanwhile, Tonks and Remus stood there with open mouths.

"I really must apologize. I really have absolutely _no_ idea what your name is, and I couldn't think of a good way to ask," Sirius continued flippantly.

The date's expression had graduated to one of indignance, and she responded icily, "It's Tanya."

"Ah, yes! Tanya. Now I remember." Sirius said jovially, though he was the only one who found this amusing.

"Well, Tanya," Remus finally said, "it was nice to meet you. We'll be heading back over to the bar now." He shot Sirius a mortified look and put a hand on Tonks' back, guiding her away from the pair.

Tonks looked with disgust over her shoulder at Sirius, and he heard her mutter, "Jesus, and Maddy not even gone a week!" She rolled her eyes and they sat back down. Remus was murmuring something to her that Sirius couldn't hear above the din. He looked miserably back at his date, who had her arms crossed and was observing him curiously.

"Well, I suppose you'll be wanting to leave now," Sirius said hopefully. Perhaps this mishap signaled the end of their lousy date, and he could get on with life and go to Hogsmeade to continue the quest to get hammered. He happened to glance in the direction of a table in the corner, and had a sudden disconcerting memory of sitting there with Madeleine once, just prior to apparating quickly back to Grimmauld Place for a nice long shag on the drawing room carpet.

"Who's Maddy?" Tanya wanted to know.

"Maddy?"

"Yeah, your friend just said something about a Maddy."

Sirius sighed. "Ex-girlfriend." He didn't care to elaborate.

"You just broke up?"

He paused. "Recently, yes."

His date considered him impassively before speaking.

"Take me home," Tanya said, sounding suddenly business-like. "I'll make you forget her."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy stood looking out the window in her old quarters at the castle. Outside, the threatening sky had opened wide shortly after her return, and snow had fallen relentlessly for the last few days, leaving well over a foot. As inclement as London weather could be, it had _nothing_ on this place. Maddy had forgotten how dreary this end of Scotland was the majority of the time, and her mood was even blacker as a result. She resolved to get out of this hellhole as soon as possible; perhaps tonight if she could get away with it.

Eventually she pulled herself away from her vantage point, which, ironically, happened to look over the exact stretch of lake where she had met Sirius, though it was currently impossible to see through the curtain of snow. It had been close to two years now, she thought, though in some ways it seemed like only yesterday.

Maddy had been at Hogwarts less than a week, but despite Albus' assurance that her time there would pass quickly, she thought that, so far, each minute was torture. But her classes were passable, at least, and she managed to slog through them. She knew she was a lousy teacher in this frame of mind, and the best students were disappointed in her, but she didn't really care. Umbridge was due for a visit within the next week, though, and Maddy knew she would have to step things up a bit to please the old toad. But she wasn't worried about that, just now.

She wiped tears away and sniffled as she shrugged her heavy coat and scarf on over a jumper and a pair of jeans. She wasn't about to get any more dressed up than this for a clandestine trip to Hogsmeade, but she figured where she was going, nobody would care how she looked. Then she grabbed a small paperback and stuffed it inside her coat. Satisfied that she had stopped crying for the moment, Maddy opened the heavy door leading out of her chambers. She passed Filch, who nodded suspiciously at her, but he couldn't very well forbid her from going outside. She moved on past him. Trudging down the hallway toward the statue which hid the passageway to Hogsmeade, she walked past paintings in which curious occupants followed her. Some remembered her from before and called out her name in greeting. She ignored them, however, as she shuffled along.

Once at the statue of the hump-backed witch, Maddy looked around carefully to see that she was alone before whispering "_dissendium_" with a tap of her wand. She quickly climbed through the door and shut it behind her, using her wand as a light source in the inky blackness.

After what seemed like forever, she could tell that the tunnel was leading upward and figured that it was safe enough to apparate outside. Once she decided on her destination, she was immediately whisked away. She reappeared a short distance away, in the lane behind Honeydukes. On a Tuesday night in heavy snowfall, the little street was deserted. At that moment, a large drift of snow dropped from the Honeydukes roof on Maddy's head, and she cursed violently, shaking her head. She had forgotten that the Hog's Head wasn't very close to the sweet shop, but she didn't feel like apparating again. Instead, she began to trudge down the path running along the shop until she reached the High Street. Turning left, she walked at a brisker pace through the snow until she made a right turn. Now, through the heavy downfall she could see a battered sign with a rather grotesque rendering of a boar's bloody severed head on it. Maddy smiled to herself. Even when she had been in school, and wandering around Hogsmeade, she had wondered why the unknown artist had picked such a gory image to represent the establishment. She walked in, though, and looked around. Like the last time, the barkeep was momentarily absent, so she made a point of closing the door loudly behind her. The lone patron down at the end of the bar looked up in a drunken haze, and she nodded to him, noticing that it was the same elderly man who had been in here the previous week. Apparently the inclement weather didn't deter him, either. He tipped his hat in return as Maddy went over to her usual booth. After removing her coat, she sat down and propped both feet up on the wooden bench opposite her, wrinkling her nose at the peculiar odor that filled the place.

Eventually, the owner stepped through a swinging door behind the bar and walked out. As he had the last time, he did a double-take upon seeing a young woman sitting in his bar, watching him expectantly. But he raised his eyebrows wryly, and spoke.

"Firewhiskey, I presume?"

"You presume correctly," Maddy called back to him.

"Don't get up," he added. "I'll bring it to you."

"Oh. Okay," Maddy said, and suddenly remembered something.

She quickly pulled her wand back out of her coat. Soon, the barkeep walked over with a glass of firewhiskey, which he set down before her. Maddy eyed it warily, intending to give it a little tap to get the dirt off, but at least this glass seemed somewhat cleaner than last time. The man stared down at her, and then spoke again.

"Y'know, I appreciate the business and all, but are you _sure_ this is where you want to be visiting? Young woman, all alone." The man's brow crinkled in consternation.

"Place can be a bit rough at times," he added gruffly in explanation.

Maddy looked pointedly around the room, empty save for the person at the bar, and said abruptly, "I'll be fine."

"What's your name?" he asked, though not unkindly.

"Maddy."

"Ah. Well, just be careful here, Maddy, if you keep coming in. 'S all I'm sayin'," the barkeep finished gruffly. "You payin' up now, or will you be runnin' a tab?"

"Tab." Maddy smiled at him, hoping to indicate that she was finished talking, and began to rummage in her coat for the book she had brought.

He turned to leave, and she felt a twinge of guilt at her rudeness.

"What's your name?"

He paused and looked back. "Aberforth."

"Oh. Well, keep 'em coming tonight, Aberforth, until I say when."

He shrugged and nodded before lumbering off to the bar. This time, however, he didn't leave, but made a point of staying behind the bar. Maddy got the feeling he was staying in view to watch over her, and she was touched by the gesture, even though there appeared to be no need for it.

She found her book and thumbed through it until she found a dog-eared page from whenever she had last put it down. She tried to read, though her thoughts kept drifting to the usual subject. Sirius. With a sick feeling, she remembered his impending date. She wondered if it had happened yet, and, if so, what had transpired between him and the unknown woman. Not for the first time, Maddy wished violently that she could either _see_ things at will, or nothing at all. Perhaps then she would be able to see what had happened with the other woman. But, she thought bitterly, why would she want to know that, anyway? What was the point in torturing herself? With an effort, Maddy forced her mind to move in another direction, though the place it went wasn't one she would have chosen.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Tanya had suggested side-along apparition with a view to getting Sirius as physically close to her as possible. Her indignance with him hadn't lasted very long, despite his cavalier attitude, and she assumed that he was only being a gentleman by suggesting they cut the night short. Sirius reluctantly agreed to be transported back to her flat via apparition. It was much faster than walking there or traveling via muggle transport, allowing him to be in Hogsmeade that much more quickly. Despite a rather considerable amount of experience with women, he was still jolted off-balance when she grabbed him fiercely and pressed her breasts against him.

"Ready?" she asked softly. Her hands moved down to his backside and rested there.

"Yeah, sure," he responded lamely.

He was feeling increasingly disgusted with himself for how this whole evening had played out. But at that moment, they were off, and Sirius felt even more out of control being the side-along person with some witch groping him as they traveled. Shortly thereafter, they arrived just inside the door of Tanya's flat.

"Want something to drink?" she asked, once she had boldly planted a kiss on Sirius' lips.

"Oh. No, thank you. Honestly, I should go."

He tried to sound firm, but the close proximity to willing female bits, after his lustful thoughts of Madeleine, was slowly getting the better of him despite his conviction to exit this date as soon as possible. The scent she wore reminded him so much of Maddy that he had a ridiculous urge to put the light out, rip her clothes off and pretend it _was_ her.

"I don't think you really want to be leaving, do you?" Tanya whispered, and before he knew it, he was kissing her with brutal intensity.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The longer Maddy sat in the Hog's Head, dark thoughts continued to plague her. For some reason, possibly borne from being at Hogwarts again, she began to think of her family and the event that had torn them apart years ago. Albus had sent for her that day when she was fifteen, and she had known something was horribly wrong as soon as she set foot in his office. She had sat across from him, and now recalled what a hard time he had telling her what had happened, despite his usual gift for words. William had already finished school by that time, and Maddy remembered him being bothered much more by his father's incarceration and subsequent death, than he was about their mother's brutal murder. Then she had been forced to go back home at the end of her fifth year, with William serving reluctantly as her guardian, though he kept a low profile, wanting to stay out of the ministry's view. It had lasted all of one miserable summer before she went back to Hogwarts to stay. The next summer, prior to her seventh year, Albus had made a point of finding some work for her do to at the castle, and Maddy never went back to her parents' home to live again.

These thoughts culminated in a surge of hatred for her brother, and a renewed sense of resolve to find him and do her best to disable him. She would attempt to kill him, if necessary, but the thought of doing that was so foreign to her that she wondered if she would actually be able to go through with it. If it had to be one of them, though, Maddy decided she would find the means to do it.

By the time Aberforth had brought her third and final firewhiskey, Maddy was only staring blankly at the pages in the book. She was still deep in thought, looking back at her life as a teenager. How did Sirius fit into all that? In an odd way, _seeing_ him various times had helped her get through that period. Perhaps it was just the thought that she might eventually be happy again. She wasn't sure.

She sighed and checked her watch. She should probably be getting back to the castle. It wasn't her night to be on duty, but Maddy figured if she was noticeably absent for a long period of time, it would reflect poorly on her, and she wanted to look good for Umbridge. She reached into her coat, hunting for some galleons. When she looked back in Aberforth's direction to flag him down, she saw that he was staring at the door with as much surprise as he had shown her earlier. Maddy followed his gaze and realized that someone had come in, though she hadn't heard the door open, being so absorbed in finding money. Then she saw who it was, and her mouth dropped open. At that moment, the man standing dripping wet in the doorway looked in her direction, and his grey eyes grew wide when he saw her. Sirius.

Their eyes were locked on each other for several seconds when Maddy suddenly remembered that the last time she had seen Sirius, he had been cold and hostile, and had bluntly informed her that he wasn't interested in speaking to her. She finally broke his gaze, reaching down to get her things as she quickly considered what to do. Her first impulse was to flee through the door, or even apparate straight off the bench. But that would be cowardly, she thought. Damned if _she _would slink away just to avoid him. Feeling defiant, she propped her feet back up on the bench opposite her, and opened her book again.

Sirius didn't move for several seconds, contemplating his own next move. He desperately wanted to speak to Madeleine, since the opportunity had practically fallen out of the sky, but he had no clue how to start. Finally, he compromised by walking over to the bar.

"I'll take a firewhiskey, please," he said to Aberforth, whose eyes darted back and forth between Sirius and Maddy, as though he was trying to solve a puzzle.

Aberforth greeted him by name and poured him a drink into a perfectly filthy glass, but Sirius paid it no attention.

"Cheers, mate," he muttered, thinking he was going to need whatever courage the stuff provided. He downed it in one go, and walked straight over to Maddy.

"Madeleine? Mind if I sit down?" he asked quietly.

Maddy looked up at him, biting her tongue at several bitter comments that came to mind.

Eventually, she shrugged and muttered, "Alright."

Instead of sitting across from her, Sirius slid in beside her on the same bench, and sat close enough for Maddy to feel the warmth of his body through the damp coat touching her arm. Melting snow dripped from his hair and on the table. She couldn't bring herself to look directly at him, but stared straight ahead.

"There are some things I'd like to tell you."

"You want to talk _now_?" Maddy asked coldly, still looking down.

"Yeah." He sighed, and decided it was best to get straight to the point. "I'm sorry, Madeleine."

"You're sorry. For what, specifically?"

"Treating you the way I did. I hurt you, and I am deeply sorry for it. I don't know if there's a way to fix things, but I'm hoping you'll let me try."

"Why do you even want to? I thought you couldn't trust me," Maddy said bitterly.

"I would trust you with my life. I just –" He broke off, not knowing how to explain his actions.

"I, uh, well, I was behaving exactly the way my mum used to when I was a kid. I didn't even realize it, until James pointed it out."

Maddy looked at him. "James?" she asked blankly. "James who?"

"Oh. Well, that's another story, I guess. But anyway, I suppose I had forgotten about my mother being like that years ago, and I did the same thing to you. I don't want to be like that, though. To be honest, it's one reason I've always hated her."

He was silent for a moment as Maddy pondered his words.

"What do you want, Sirius?"

"What do I want?"

"Well, yes," she said impatiently.

"I want you in my life again. I hope you can forgive me, and then maybe we can move on."

"And what happens the next time I screw up? God, Sirius, I know you had every right to be angry with me, and I'm sorry for what I did to you, but I can't take that hostility and silent treatment. It hurts too much coming from you."

He put a hand over hers, and Maddy jumped a little at the action, thinking how good his touch felt. She had missed it tremendously.

"Well, how about a pact?"

"A what? Are we going to cut each other and share our blood again?"

She finally smiled a little and glanced sideways up at him now. He returned the smile, and resisted the urge to lean down and cover her mouth with his.

"No. Nothing so drastic. I was thinking more along the lines of promising that we would always be very open and honest with each other. Of course, I don't think that's really a problem with you. More me, I guess."

She shrugged, and he couldn't tell if it was in a positive or negative way.

"Oh, I meant to ask you –" she suddenly said.

_Oh God._ She was going to ask about the date. He had all but forgotten about it.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't," Sirius answered, feeling relieved. "I came up here to get away from London. And I'll sound like a complete sap, but I liked the idea of being close to you. And then, to see you here ... you're so beautiful. God, I've missed you, Madeleine."

She was silent at first, and he was afraid he had said too much.

"I've missed you, too," she admitted.

His lips _were_ on hers now, and he kissed her softly, enjoying the soft fullness and her response. Then she abruptly pulled away. Sirius looked at her questioningly.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

Maddy gave him a tight smile. "Nothing. I ... well, I really should be going. I need to get up early in the morning." She didn't elaborate, and Sirius wondered if it was something else he had done.

"Madeleine ..." he said, "do you still want to be with me?"

"Yes," she answered, but he noticed some hesitation in her voice.

"But what?"

"I'm not going back to Grimmauld Place."

"What? Why not?" Sirius asked, surprised and disappointed. He had begun to assume that they would pick up where they had left off a few weeks before.

"I promised Albus I would be here until summer. And I can be useful here. I can't go back on my word to him. And ..." she paused, considering her words, "I think we should slow down a bit."

"Slow down." Sirius stated, trying to work that one out. "Why?"

"Well, honestly, Sirius, don't you think we rushed into ... things?"

He was gobsmacked. "I never thought that. You did?"

"Not until this happened. But maybe it's true. You said yourself, we did things backwards. Living together intimately, almost from day one. Maybe _that_ wouldn't have happened if we had been a bit more ... traditional, I guess, and spent more time getting to know each other first." No need to explain what 'that' was.

Sirius started to respond to that, but thought of something else. "What did you mean by 'being useful'?"

"Oh, c'mon, I never did a damn thing for the Order in your house. There was nothing I _could_ do. Here I can do a few things, however little."

"That's not true at all, and you know it."

Sirius suddenly caught the faint aroma of perfume, disrupting his thoughts.

"Not to change the subject again, but I love that scent on you," he said. "Another thing I missed."

Maddy looked at him. "What?"

"That perfume you wear. I noticed it just now."

"Did you really?" Maddy said flatly. "I noticed it too, earlier."

Sirius began to feel as though he was missing something crucial, but he wasn't sure what.

Maddy noticed his confusion, and added wearily, "I'm not wearing any perfume, Sirius. It must be on you. And I really should be going, if you'll excuse me. We'll talk about everything some other time."

She stood, waiting for him to move so she could leave. Sirius realized she must have guessed about his date, and shut his eyes briefly in a mixture of guilt and frustration. He wasn't coming so close, only to be rebuffed now.

"I want to talk to you about that now. Will you let me?"

Maddy shook her head. "Not tonight. I'm tired, Sirius. And more than a little pissed," she added, remembering the three hangover-inducing firewhiskeys she had consumed.

He reluctantly stood to let her pass, and Maddy took her galleons over to the bar, throwing them carelessly down. Aberforth looked at her, wondering whether or not to intervene, but he decided to say nothing.

"I'll walk with you, though," Sirius insisted. He quickly dug into his pockets for money to pay for his drink.

"I paid for it already," Maddy said, yawning. Then, adding her thanks to Aberforth, she bundled up and walked to the door.

Sirius followed her, having no intention of letting her get away. They both exited the bar into the heavy snowfall.

"How are you getting back?" he asked. He paid no attention to the rapid build-up of snow on his hair and clothing.

"Apparating below Honeydukes cellar, I suppose. Then taking the tunnel to that statue of the one-eyed witch."

Sirius stopped and took Maddy's arm. "Apparate with me. I'll get you there."

He was determined to clear up the issue of his date before she was gone. He was afraid if he didn't, he would never see her again, despite what she had said earlier about continuing their relationship.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

They walked for a few minutes down the High Street of Hogsmeade. Sirius squinted at the coating of snow on his eyelashes as he searched for a covered spot in which to apparate without distraction.

"Over there," he said, pointing to a tattered awning on the sidewalk outside a produce market. The snow had dissipated slightly, making it easier to make their way over to it.

Sirius pulled Maddy very close to him under the shelter, and, before she could object, they were off. When the couple arrived at their destination, Maddy glanced around to get her bearings while Sirius illuminated it with his wand.

"This is the Shrieking Shack," she said, looking back at him indignantly. She noticed her breath clouding in front of her from the cold, making her shiver.

"You can get back to the castle from here, too. I want to speak to you first, though."

"_Merlin_, Sirius, it's late and I have to go." She pulled away from him, but he held a firm grip on her.

"No. Listen to me. I left the house last week, when I was ... angry with you. Went to Diagon Alley and proceeded to drink entirely too much."

"I don't really want to hear – " Maddy began bitterly, but he put a finger to her lips.

"I know I was being a prat. Some bird started flirting with me, and I let her. I agreed to go out with her. I assume _Snape_ told you already. Anyway ..." Sirius paused, trying to find the right words.

"I didn't remember her name. I didn't want to go, not then, nor once I sobered up a bit. I had no way of letting her know I had to cancel, though, and I already felt like a real shit with the way I'd behaved to you. I figured I'd show up, make some excuses and leave for the Hog's Head so I could be close to you. Make a plan to see you again. And get hammered," he added wryly. "God, I had no idea _you'd_ actually show up. Like a gift from the heavens."

Maddy wasn't so easily dissuaded from the topic at hand. "And then what happened?" she asked acidly.

"Well, I won't deny that she came on a bit ... strong. But nothing happened. And I left." Sirius thought back to earlier that night, and felt himself flush. Well, nothing _had_ happened, aside from that searing kiss.

"Right. I need to go now. Where's the bloody passageway out of this dump?"

Sirius gripped her arms tightly. "Madeleine. Nothing. Happened. I love you. You are who I want to be with. I am sorry for treating you the way I did. I will never do it again. You mean too much to me. Have I made myself clear?" He raised his voice until he was almost shouting.

"Yeah, sure. It's alright. Now, where do I go?" Maddy tried to loosen his grip.

"No!" He didn't let her go, but shook her. "Don't say 'It's alright!' I don't want to hear 'It's alright!!' I am sorry, Madeleine! You are the only woman I've been with. Since we've been together! Will you forgive me? Tell me! I want to hear that you still love me!"

"Oh, _good_! Now you know how I felt!" she spat out, suddenly more emotional. "I followed you around for days trying to get you to acknowledge me, but you wouldn't! How does it feel, Sirius?" Then she couldn't stop herself. "You shagged that bitch, didn't you? Don't fucking lie to me!"

"I did not! I have not been with anyone else!" White-faced, Sirius gripped her face in his hands, willing her to read his mind. Then, he thought, maybe she could.

"Do legilimency on me!" he challenged her.

"What?!" Maddy said. "Let go of me! What the hell are you on about?"

"Do it, and you'll see, nothing happened!"

"I told you I wouldn't do it again, and I won't! God knows how you'd try and punish me _then_!" Maddy had angry tears in her eyes, and they spilled out and down her cheeks.

Seeing her crying, Sirius' expression softened, and he loosened his grip on her, though he held a hand against her cheek. "Madeleine, she kissed me. I made her stop, and excused myself to go to the loo. When I came back out, I told her I had to leave, and I did. Immediately. I apparated to Hogsmeade at that moment. I am so sorry I hurt you. I will never do it again. If you need to stay here at Hogwarts, I understand. But I don't want this to be the end of us."

He paused for a moment to get his breath. "It really falls down to what you want now," he said, more softly.

Maddy stared at him and wiped her eyes. "Okay," she finally said, her manner more composed. "Here's what I want. I want you to stop going mental on me because I see things. Not that you have to worry about me _telling_ you anything else I see, because I won't. And the next time you have a problem with me, I expect you to act like an adult about it. Otherwise, I'm out of here, and I mean for good.

"And one other thing ... there better _never_ be another woman's scent on you as long as we're together." She finished her speech and glared at Sirius.

"Is that it?" he asked calmly.

"That's all I can think of right now," she retorted. "But I'm staying at Hogwarts until summer, since I promised Albus. And I'm still going to end things with William. I'm sick of hiding from that wanker."

Sirius finally cracked a small grin. "Well, not by yourself, you aren't. You should be protected at the castle in the meantime, however. Though I'd much prefer you stay with me."

"Oh, I've already been given a few tips on protecting myself," Maddy said.

"Really? By whom?"

She looked away. "Not important."

She wasn't about to tell him that _he_ was the source of the advice, in the vision that she had preserved in Dumbledore's pensieve.

"Alright, I'll take you back to the grounds," Sirius said, though he felt very reluctant to do so. "So are we good now?"

Maddy looked back up at him. "I guess," she said softly, finally warming to him more.

"Do I have permission to kiss you?"

She hesitated a few moments, then nodded.

He pulled her close once more and leaned down.

"God, Madeleine, this felt so good earlier. I can't wait to taste you again."

His mouth was soft and tentative only for a moment, and then his lips began to devour hers hungrily and he forced her against his body.

"It has been too long," Sirius whispered hoarsely, then wove his fingers through her hair and pulled her even closer.

He gingerly sat on a rickety wooden chair, and motioned for Maddy to sit on his lap.

"This is one lousy and bloody _frigid_ place to make love," he said, laughing heartily as the chair rocked precariously. "Anywhere else we can go, you think? Or is that, er, an option?" He seemed suddenly unsure of himself.

Maddy moved provocatively against him. "I don't know. The Hog's Head has some rooms, but I have to be getting back, honestly. I can't jeopardize things with Umbridge."

"I understand."

She looked at him for a long moment. "Of course, there is _one_ option, if you're brave enough." Her voice held a trace of humor, knowing that he would be willing to do whatever it took.

"I doubt anything will deter me from taking you to bed this minute. What is it?"

"We can go to my quarters in the castle."

"And we accomplish this ... how?" Sirius asked drolly, though he was curious.

Maddy leaned up so that she was whispering in his ear. "You _are_ an animagus, aren't you?"

Sirius shifted uncomfortably at the ticklish feel of her mouth at his ear, and couldn't resist kissing her once more in response.

"Are you quite finished?" she added breathlessly. "Because I was going to suggest that I had been out taking a walk and found an injured dog. So I decided to bring the poor beast inside with me to ... nurse back to health."

"Well, that's _quite_ a story, Madeleine. And a good one. Time's wasting ... let's go."

He led her quickly down the hallway to a place in the floor where the boards seemed even looser than other places. When Sirius yanked on a tattered piece of rope, the group of boards followed it, exposing a black expanse beneath.

He used his wand for illumination, and took Maddy's hand tightly as they traveled the tunnel that was so familiar, Sirius knew all the turns by heart. After several minutes, they began to rise until he was peering out of the ground. Fortunately, the Whomping Willow's girth provided such good coverage that a build-up of snow hadn't been a problem around its trunk. He was careful to feel around for the knob, though, which would keep the tree from attacking them.

Once outside and back in the falling snow, Sirius kissed Maddy one more time, and she watched in amazement as he transformed into the large black dog. Then they slogged through the huge drifts together until they had made their way up to the nearest doors. Once inside, Padfoot shook snow off himself vigorously, making Maddy laugh, though she felt compelled to do the same thing with her hair.

"Limp!" she commanded in a whisper, and made a point of appearing to help the "injured" animal through the doors and down the hallway. Nobody was about, fortunately, even Filch, and they managed to make it back to Maddy's suite unscathed.

Once inside, and the door had been latched using a spell, Padfoot transformed back into Sirius immediately. Maddy watched the process with interest.

"I wish I could do that," she commented wistfully.

"I'll teach you sometime, if you want," Sirius replied, then gently pushed her on the bed. "But I don't want to talk about it just now."

"My luck, my animagus form would be a slug or something equally disgusting," she continued offhand.

Sirius sighed and stood over Maddy with his shirt now half unbuttoned.

"What exactly do I have to do to get you off the subject?" he asked.

"Hold me," she answered softly as she took him in, thinking how beautiful he was. "I've missed you, Sirius."

Sirius lay down facing Maddy, so close that their noses touched.

"I love you," he whispered. "I don't want you away from me. But I understand."

"It'll be over soon. Then we can be together." She touched her lips to his and kissed him softly. "And I love you."

oOoOoOoOo

_A/N: Yikes...I know the length of this chapter was ridiculously long, but I was trying my best to resolve things. I didn't want to wait one more chapter to do it, and possibly fall victim to a virtual stoning:) It took some time, however, and wound up being 7000+ words. So! It's moving right along. Thanks so much for reading. I appreciate all the comments and reviews so much and hope you continue to enjoy it._


	23. Plans, Interrupted

Sirius awoke with a start in unfamiliar surroundings. He had been dreaming of Hogwarts, and was startled at first to find that he actually seemed to be waking up there. Then events of the previous day came back to him, and he relaxed, realizing that what had happened in this room late last night was real. He had been in bed with Madeleine, enjoying the feel of her sweat mingling with his, the sounds they made as they pleasured each other, and her soft voice telling him she loved him.

He stretched like a cat, enjoying the sensation of elongating his body as far as it would go, and rolled over to his stomach to reach for her. Maddy's side of the bed was empty, however, though it still felt warm. He sat up, looking around in the dark, and noticed a sliver of light under the bathroom door. She must be getting ready for classes, he decided. He thought of knocking on the door to see if she was interested in making love again. But perhaps he shouldn't press his luck, with things so recently repaired.

Instead, Sirius plopped his body back on the mattress. He remembered the Hog's Head the night before, and the shock that had electrified his body when he saw Maddy looking up at him after he walked through the door. Whatever his faults, he told himself with satisfaction, at least he was tenacious as a bulldog when he needed to be. And Madeleine was his again.

Then he remembered Tanya, and the good feeling was gone, replaced by a sense of guilt. He had come much closer than he wanted to admit in taking her to bed, strictly out of a physical need. Banal though her personality was, it would have been easy to just pretend she was Madeleine once the place was dark. Fortunately, Remus' angry words had penetrated his mind just at the right time. _Do you_ ever _think about the consequences of your actions?_ he had shouted at Sirius in disgust. Remus must not be thinking too much of him right now, Sirius thought regretfully, although Moony ought to be proud of him for taking the high road after all. Poor Tanya had almost fallen over in Sirius' haste to break free of her embrace. _ I, uh, just need to use the loo. I can find it myself, _he had said breathlessly as he moved away from her, thinking he just needed a moment to clear his mind.

Sirius now rolled his eyes now at how silly he must have seemed to her, but no matter. He could hear Maddy moving around in the bathroom, and he continued his mental self-mortification, reviewing the previous evening.

_Once he was inside the bathroom and closed the door, he took a deep breath and quickly debated exactly what the consequences _would _be. Well, apparently he and Madeleine were finished. This thought was accompanied by a stab of sadness and despair that he hadn't felt since James' death. Another person he loved ... gone, and due to his own stupidity, as usual. He looked in the mirror and saw smears of lipstick around his mouth. He glared at his image and took a hand to wipe it off. Well, at least the witch in the other room wanted him. Maybe it wouldn't be a big deal if he fucked her. Just get it over with. Then, ironically, thinking the word 'fuck' helped reality to intervene. Fucking another woman. Was _that_ really such a big deal? He had already been intimate with a woman he was deeply in love with, and he recognized that it was a vast improvement from the encounters of casual sex since he had been freed. Sirius thought of how, in the Leaky Cauldron earlier, his heart had stopped when he thought he saw Madeleine with another man. Picturing her now in a passionate embrace with someone else was a very disturbing thought. Or was she was doing the same about him ... feeling miserable imagining him with another woman? A fresh spasm of guilt accompanied this thought, as it appeared he _was_ going to be with another woman. After only a few days. Sirius figured that most men wouldn't let that stop them. However, the voice that echoed in his mind about consequences made up his mind for him. Madeleine may never find out about it, but he knew if he stayed with this woman tonight, it would be a form of betrayal._

His thoughts were interrupted as the bathroom door opened, and Maddy stepped out, fully dressed.

"Oh, dear Merlin, why didn't I have any teachers that looked like you when I was here?" Sirius breathed, looking appreciatively at her. "Sprout was the best looking one we had."

Maddy grinned. "Well, around here, we are expected to dress as proper witches and wizards, and not the ... _others_," she said, trying to adopt Umbridge's girlish tone. Failing that, she dissolved into giggles.

"Though, personally, I find this to be a bit more of a dominatrix-type look, myself. Umbridge probably carries around a whip with her, come to think of it, in spite of all that frilly pink crap she wears."

She glanced down at the long, tight black dress and high boots, and grimaced distastefully at the mental picture of Dolores Umbridge in an S & M pose. It wouldn't have surprised her in the least, unfortunately.

"Well, you look as though you could punish a few naughty boys," Sirius answered, laughing.

"Starting with whom?" Maddy asked cheekily.

She stared back at him boldly, taking in the comforter which was strategically draped over certain parts of his naked body.

"Me, of course. Are we out of time?" he asked. "Because I would be very happy to shag you again right now."

A shadow fell over her features. "Well, unfortunately, I need to go soon. And you'll have to, as well. But there are a few things we need to talk about first."

Sirius looked uneasily at her. "About what?" After everything during the night, surely she wasn't planning on giving him bad news about their relationship _now_.

"Umbridge, and your godson ... and you."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"They're very curious about you. The Ministry, I mean," Maddy said, sitting down on the bed beside Sirius. "Albus had already warned me. And Umbridge has been asking questions, and has made it clear she wants to know as much as possible about you."

Sirius looked very amused to hear this. "I'm not too concerned about that barmy old troll."

"Well, I am. She makes up new rules almost every day, and I don't want to get you in some sort of trouble on my account. And it's important that _I _don't get in trouble, as well. If we're going to see each other, it'll have to be in Hogsmeade or somewhere else on my evenings off, assuming those don't get cut." She rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"What did you tell her about me?"

"Just that we'd split up and I didn't talk much about my personal life. It won't stop her being nosy, though."

"And if she asks again? What will you tell her then?"

Maddy thought for a moment. "She doesn't need to know about us. I'll probably stick to the same story, I guess, and hope nobody around here sees us together."

Maddy checked her watch and sighed. "Now I need to tell you about Harry, then we both have to go."

"I can't just stay here and wait on you?" Sirius already knew what the answer was, but he couldn't resist trying.

She looked evenly at him. "I think that wouldn't be a good idea, like I said. Now – "

Her words were interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Both heads swiveled in that direction simultaneously, and when Maddy looked back at Sirius, he was transforming into Padfoot.

She walked to the door. "Who is it?" she asked in a casual tone.

"Argus Filch. The high inquisitor would like to see you as soon as you have a moment," came a muffled voice, sounding very haughty, from the other side of the thick wooden door.

Maddy groaned slightly, though not loud enough for him to hear.

"Alright. I'll be there shortly," she managed to answer in a cheerful voice, though she kept the door shut. She wasn't about to open it and enable the greasy little man to get a look around.

Hearing nothing further from Filch, Maddy assumed he had gone, and turned back to Sirius.

"Sorry," she said, shrugging. "The old hag calls and I must answer."

Padfoot quickly turned back into Sirius, who smiled ruefully at her as he gathered up his discarded clothing.

"When may I have the pleasure of your company again?" he asked with a mock bow, making Maddy grin back at him, taking in his naked body with all its art on display. She had always been fond of his tattoos.

"Friday? I'm not scheduled for anything that night. How about some place other than Hogsmeade? We'll talk more then. No owls, by the way. Guess you knew that already, though."

"Friday sounds good," Sirius answered, fumbling with his trousers and then buttoning up his shirt. He looked down at them, frowning in concentration as one of the buttons gave him trouble. Maddy couldn't help watching his face closely, with a wavy lock hanging down boyishly over one eye, and he looked suddenly up at her, noticing her appreciative gaze. Their eyes locked, then she blushed and looked away.

"Wish you didn't have to go," he said softly. "And wish _I _didn't have to go."

He walked swiftly over to her and cupped her face with his hands. Saying nothing more, he put his lips to Maddy's and kissed her lingeringly. Then he reluctantly broke away, though he took her hands in his.

"Let's meet in the Shrieking Shack and we'll go from there. What time?"

"I can be there around six. If something comes up, though, I'll shoot you a patronus."

"Alright." Sirius said, and he sighed. "Guess it's time for Padfoot again."

He quickly shrugged on a heavy coat first. Before he changed, however, he looked back at her.

"Madeleine, are we good, then?" His voice betrayed a slight edge of uncertainty as he repeated words he had spoken the previous night.

She hesitated briefly. "I wouldn't have spent the night with you if we weren't."

"Still love me?" Sirius continued with a little smile, though he was only half-joking.

Maddy hugged him. "Yeah, I do," she said.

They kissed, then broke apart once more, and she watched as he transformed back into the large dog. She opened the door, stepping out after him. They walked down the hall together with Maddy holding on firmly to his ruff. Padfoot didn't bother with the limping act from the previous night, but Maddy said nothing. She headed for the nearest exit, though she knew it was going to be impossible to avoid people altogether.

Sure enough, once they had turned to head down a larger hallway, several students were congregated in groups, wearing school uniforms and carrying books as they headed to breakfast.

"Professor O'Hannon! Didn't know you had a dog!" one student called out in passing. His classmates looked around at Maddy and Padfoot, and a few gave a start when they noticed his large size.

Maddy smiled briefly in acknowledgment.

"Yeah, just a stray I've adopted, sort of." She didn't elaborate.

They continued walking until they came to a set of wooden doors. She opened one of them, groaning as a strong wind blew in, but followed Padfoot outside anyway. Her boots sank into the snow that covered the small courtyard. The dog traveled a few feet, then stopped.

"Take care. Friday at six, the shack," she repeated quietly, then kissed him softly on the head. He licked her face lovingly in response before loping off. Maddy stood up and watched him go, feeling an absurd twinge of sadness that he didn't turn to look at her again.

The wind gusted once more, forcing Maddy wrap her robes tightly around her and hurry back indoors. The heat of the castle felt wonderful after the frigid temperatures outside, and she hoped Sirius made it somewhere warm quickly. Then she set off to meet Dolores Umbridge for another humiliating exercise in genuflection before classes.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Despite the freezing temperatures, Sirius enjoyed the walk through the forest. He was headed to Hogsmeade for now. He hadn't had a chance to mention it to Maddy, but the thought had occurred to him to look for a place to live that was closer to Hogwarts than London. It didn't matter that London was only a quick apparition away. He wanted to be physically close to her. And this way, he wouldn't have to spend any more time than was necessary at dreary Grimmauld Place, with only Kreacher as company, but could have a nice place of his own that she could easily visit when she wanted. And familiar as he was with his father's security methods, he was confident that he could make any house safe from unwanted visitors.

Once off Hogwarts grounds and on the road to Hogsmeade, Padfoot picked up his speed, feeling a sudden burst of energy that had him running at full throttle for a few minutes. He only slowed down once the village was in sight, disappearing into the forest to transform back into a man. Then, with hands in his coat pockets, he walked the remainder of the journey in high spirits.

Hogsmeade was much like Godric's Hollow, in that Sirius knew it by heart. As a student at Hogwarts, it had quickly become a place of escape once the Marauder's Map had been conceived. Occasionally, he would slip away through a tunnel in the early hours of the morning, leaving even James behind, to wander through the cobbled streets and take in a cup of coffee. Fortunately, exiting through Honeydukes had never been a problem at that hour of the morning, since their employees were still likely enjoying their own breakfasts at home. In any case, Sirius had always been sure of his ability to talk himself out of whatever iffy situation might arise, though none ever had.

Now, as he walked down a lane toward the high street, he felt echoes of the joy that had enveloped him here back in his school days. This might be a good place to live, after all. And hopefully, once school was out and the detestable William taken care of, Maddy would be there with him. He had a few irons in the fire on that score, as well. Something else he hadn't mentioned to her.

Sirius considered Maddy as he passed the Hog's Head. It was obvious that, for all their relationship appeared to be mended, she was going to be the one calling the shots for a while. He would take it, though. He didn't get the sense that she was doing it to punish him; instead, she seemed gun-shy, afraid that he would hurt her again. Sirius had to admit that, disappointed though he was about being separated from her, she was being smart about things. And maybe the arrangement was for the best. For _now_, at least.

Wandering further down a residential street, he gazed at the neat row of cottages, and tried to picture himself living in one of them. As he walked, Sirius remembered his initial fury about Maddy's legilimency, or whatever one might call that. His anger had long since dissipated once he had managed to put things in perspective. Unfortunately, it had taken her leaving before that had happened. He trusted that she wouldn't do such an intrusive thing again, but he understood, at least, that she had done it out of love and concern for him. The incident reminded him uncomfortably of his mother, and the icy cold punishment she had always meted out when issues, real or imagined by her, arose. Upon thinking of _that_ particular person, Sirius resolved once more that, whatever happened in the future between them, he would never treat Maddy that way again.

Sirius continued ambling around Hogsmeade until his stomach growled loudly. After turning off the high street and into Spittal Lane, something caught his eye. He looked up and spied a shingle dangling from a storefront above him, indicating that it was a realty office. He started inside, but his stomach repeated its noise, louder this time. The thought of hot coffee and a bun in front of a blazing fire began to sound even better. He decided to take care of his hunger first, before beginning the search for a place to live.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Later that morning, Maddy sat at her desk watching students scribble furiously on parchment. They were in the midst of an essay exam which had come completely unexpected, and very unwelcome, to them. Hermione Granger appeared to be the only person who seemed to be remotely confident in what she was doing. The other students paused every few minutes to glare at their new teacher with indignation before leaning their heads back over their papers.

Maddy's thoughts turned to Harry. If she was to help him as Dumbledore had suggested, it would involve some creativity. She tried to think of a good way to jump start things. Well, the Room of Requirement would be the most practical place, if she could swing it. The students had already been in there with their Defense practices, but since Umbridge's interference had been on the rise, that had been all but impossible for them nowadays.

Maddy had been wondering exactly how _she _could justify having a large number of students in the room without making Umbridge suspicious. Well, one quick way forward might be to suck up to the woman. Umbridge had a huge ego, and seemed to think from their first meeting that she could mold Maddy according to her will, though she had long since given up on the other teachers. The old hag had taken a real liking to her, in fact. Maddy made no bones about her 'dislike' of Harry Potter, endearing her to the other witch immediately. And she was surprised to find that her relationship with Sirius was going to help matters as well. Umbridge was fully aware of Sirius' status as Harry's godfather, and had begun to ask questions about what time Maddy had spent with the boy. The younger witch found out very quickly that she could make up virtually anything negative about Harry, and Umbridge would eat it up with relish.

In fact, by the time this morning's meeting with the high inquisitor had ended, Maddy had managed to convince Umbridge that it was Harry who had had driven a wedge between her and Sirius, and she made no secret of her bitterness about her ex-boyfriend's preferential treatment of his godson. Eventually, she confided that she had been driven away from Sirius for good as a result of the unswerving bond between the two, just before Hogwarts came calling.

Umbridge had smiled sympathetically and patted Maddy on the back, as the younger woman blew her nose and dabbed at her eyes.

"_It's alright, dear. I fully understand, even if no one else does, just what a ... devious little creature Harry Potter is. You go ahead; have a good cry before class starts. And, just so you know, _any_ measure of discipline you think is appropriate gets my full approval. You need never ask beforehand." _

And with that cryptic bit of commentary and a little wink, Umbridge had walked with Maddy to the door.

Maddy had turned back to her, forcing a tight smile through the tears in her eyes. _"I, uh, well, I just want to say, I appreciate you listening. No one else has. It means a lot."_

"_My door is open anytime you need to talk, dear." _

Maddy had sniffled once more and heaved a labored sigh for Umbridge's benefit. Then she had headed off down the hall toward her first Arithmancy class of the day, feeling extremely satisfied with her acting skills.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Now that the period was over, Maddy's students filed up to her desk and handed in their papers, one by one. Nobody smiled at her now, except for Hermione, who seemed confident that she had passed with flying colors. Maddy briefly thought about the risks and benefits of letting the girl in on her secret. As Hermione walked to the door, Maddy decided to bite the bullet.

"Granger!" she called out brusquely.

Hermione, whose hand was poised on the door knob, turned to look back. A few girls walked past and glanced sympathetically at her.

"Yes, professor?" She was slightly taken aback, unused to Maddy's tone and address.

"I'd like to speak to you, if you've got a minute."

Hermione walked quickly back to Maddy's desk.

"What's up?"

"Sit down," Maddy said, using her wand to summon the nearest chair. Before she could speak further, however, the familiar figure of Dolores Umbridge appeared in the doorway. Maddy looked up at the woman and felt a flash of irritation. Bloody hag ... couldn't she leave her alone for five minutes?

Umbridge flashed her simpering smile at the pair and walked over, forcing Maddy to hastily consider a plan B.

"Well! What are you ladies up to?" she asked, as if she were talking to a couple of little girls.

Hermione didn't answer, but merely appeared stony-faced at the interruption, and looked off into the distance. Maddy, however, was forced to smile cheerily.

"Oh, nothing! Miss Granger here is my best student, by far. We were going to discuss a few things before she goes to her next class ... how the Agrippan and Chaldean methods differ, things like that."

Hermione looked quizzically at Maddy. These were simple facts she had known since her first week of Arithmancy a few years before.

Maddy thought quickly, and looked directly at the student. "In fact, I was just going to offer some extra credit, if you'd be kind enough to help me calculate a few numbers. Can you swing back by my office later ... maybe three o'clock?"

The girl's face brightened. "Sure! What is it?"

"Oh, nothing terribly important. We'll talk about it then."

Hermione nodded, clearly wondering what Maddy wanted, but she didn't ask again with Umbridge standing right there.

"I'll be there," she promised. And without another glance at the high inquisitor, she picked up her bag and walked out.

Umbridge managed to keep Maddy occupied for the next twenty minutes or so, in the guise of asking if the younger witch was feeling better. Then she spent several minutes complaining about other teachers who seemed to delight in thwarting her authority. Maddy dutifully commiserated with her, before the other witch left her in peace at last.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Unfortunately, Maddy didn't spot Harry at all that day, though she looked for reasons to run into him. She began to wonder if this plan was plausible after all, especially since Harry didn't even take one of her classes. That would have made things much easier. Perhaps she could persuade another teacher to let her substitute for them. Snape, maybe? Then Maddy thought of Hermione, and felt guilty about involving the girl in her scheme. She knew, though, that Hermione could be trusted to keep a secret, and keep herself out of danger at the same time. She really wasn't sure if all the cloak and dagger was necessary, anyway. Perhaps she could just _tell_ Hermione what was going on, and let her pass it on to Harry when they were alone in the Gryffindor common room. But with Umbridge's habit of popping up at inconvenient times, Maddy hated to take any chances being overheard and get the kids, or herself, in trouble.

She gathered up papers and stuffed them into her desk, then locked it with a charm. It was close to lunchtime, but she didn't feel particularly hungry. Even so, she decided to slip into the kitchens and take some food back to her rooms rather than eat in the Great Hall.

Once that had been accomplished, Maddy seated herself at a desk in her small antechamber just outside the bedroom. She scribbled on parchment and munched a sandwich simultaneously, crossing out the wrong symbols in a few places and inserting correct ones. She had no idea if Hermione had ever seen this much of the goblin code before, but since the girl was freakishly good at deduction and research, Maddy hoped she could figure it out and let Harry in on things. She and Bill Weasley had shown the girl a bit of it, back at Grimmauld Place the previous summer, when Hermione had shown an intense curiosity about curse-breaking. And now, with luck, it might prove useful for correspondence in the future as well, Maddy hoped.

Finally, Maddy decided she was finished. She folded up the parchment and placed it in her pocket for later. Then, noticing that she still had some time before her next class, she decided to go outside for a few minutes, even though it had begun to snow once more.

The courtyard closest to her chambers was empty of people, and she walked through the swirling snow over to a wall, leaning against it. She recalled another time when she had stood here, being kissed by an awkward teenager while having visions of an handsome, older wizard doing the same thing. And now she had him, Maddy thought contentedly. Then the thought of the faceless witch came to mind, and she felt a new surge of jealousy at anyone touching Sirius. Though momentarily sobered by the thought, Maddy still believed him. He _had_ offered to let her do legilimency on him, after all. Then she snorted to herself. No more of _that_, she vowed. She would take him at his word. Despite believing in his innocence, she did wonder exactly how far he had gotten with whomever it was.

Finally Maddy sighed and tried to think of something else. Attempting to conjure an image of an unknown date with Sirius was an exercise in futility. Instead, she felt in her pocket for the cryptic note she had written to Hermione, and thought, not for the first time, that all this secrecy over students learning to defend themselves against dark wizardry seemed ridiculous. As if Dumbledore would actually put underage wizards to work battling Fudge and the Ministry! But knowing what she did of Umbridge and her barbaric methods against Harry, Maddy didn't doubt for a moment that she might be in quite a bit of trouble if she were found out. Far from being frightened, however, she found the idea of working covertly against the high inquisitor rather exciting. And with that thought in mind, Maddy walked back inside for her afternoon class.


	24. The Wand's Little Secret

Thankfully, Dolores Umbridge was nowhere around by the time Hermione showed up in her teacher's office in between classes. Maddy was irritated about having to take such a circuitous route to relay a simple message, but when she handed the note to Hermione, the girl opened it and looked at it with interest.

"Oh! This is that code you told me about last summer!" she exclaimed. The note was written in an unusual combination of runes, Egyptian heiroglyphics and heiratic symbols, and letters from the Phoenician alphabet. She watched with fascination as the jumbled mess constantly rearranged itself on the parchment, and then looked up questioningly at Maddy.

"How on earth did goblins come up with this stuff?"

Maddy grinned. "They had more than a little help from ancient wizards, I believe, though they'd never admit it. And actually, I'm wondering if I may borrow your wand, just for a short time. Even _you_ will have a hard time of interpreting all this without it. I can use a spell from mine that, when I put it with your wand, might make it tons easier to read, though you'll still have to some work to do translating it. Damn goblins are _so_ sneaky."

"Wouldn't all wands already have that capability?"

"Not for this. You'll have noticed the symbols constantly rearrange. You have to pair your wand with one that already 'knows' what to do." She unconsciously lowered her voice a tiny bit, recalling the fanatical secrecy requirements of the Gringotts goblins. In fact, if she had still been an employee there, she would have been fired on the spot, or worse, for showing this to anyone.

"Documents are charmed to constantly rotate words and sentences vertically, then horizontally, and backwards ... you get the idea. If I can get your wand, hopefully I can enable it to make the symbols stationary and more legible. You've got a nice headstart on deciphering code already. Unfortunately, if it doesn't work ... well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

The thought only just occurred to her that her own wand might not cooperate. She couldn't remember any of the goblins disabling that particular feature when she left Gringotts, though, which seemed unlike them. Pushing that uncomfortable thought out of the way, however, she continued.

"And, well, I know this sounds silly, but once you are able to translate it, make sure you ...er ... do _away_ with the note," Maddy responded quietly.

Hermione's brow wrinkled, but she nodded. "What's all this about, anyway?"

Maddy looked over the girl's shoulder. "Well, I just think it could be a useful system of communication over the next few months. Just between you and me, though. Do _not_ tell anyone about this, got it?"

The girl shrugged, though she was obviously curious. "I need my wand for herbology next period, unfortunately. In fact, I'm on my way there now. And we've got Astronomy tonight with Sinistra. But I can loan it to you tomorrow, if that's okay, after potions. Will it take long?"

"Shouldn't, if it works. Bring it to me tomorrow afternoon, and then see me just before your first class on Friday and I'll return it then. Oh, and by the way, do you know Harry's class schedule for the rest of the week?"

Hermione thought for a moment. "Um, tomorrow's Thursday ... so we have potions late morning, but other than that, I think he's free most of the day."

Maddy nodded. "Oh. Well, just bring your wand to me as soon as you can."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

By Thursday afternoon, Maddy was feeling fairly pleased with herself, though her own sangfroid shocked her. She had managed to catch Harry just after leaving potions class. He was goofing off with the Weasley brothers while holding a substance that Umbridge had declared illegal. Maddy presented Harry with his first detention, to be completed Saturday night, cleaning the Room of Requirement like a muggle for two hours. Despite Harry's unpopularity at the present time, most students who were hanging around looked sympathetically at him over this injustice. To make matters worse, a group of Slytherins, who had just come out of the potions laboratory, were positively gleeful at witnessing a Gryffindor being brought down, and by such an unlikely person. They quickly filed Maddy away as a possible ally. Meanwhile, the Weasley brothers, who had handed Harry the forbidden object, which was a prototype of their latest product, were left unpunished. They looked after the teacher in shock over her behavior toward their friend. Ron managed to sputter a protest, but was silenced by a cold and threatening look from Maddy, who walked off. She could hear the angry muttering of Fred and George behind her, but she didn't look back until she heard Harry make a snide comment about her. Turning around, Maddy looked at him.

"Want to try for another one, Potter?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, why not?" he answered sarcastically, but he was trembling with fury.

"Two it is, then. You get the next Saturday night, as well. And bring your friends to watch that one, why don't you?"

And with those parting words, Maddy walked away with her black robes swirling around her.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione strode into Maddy's office and looked hard at the teacher.

"What was_ that_ all about?"

But once again, the shade of the high inquisitor darkened the door at that moment, and Maddy looked past Hermione to smile at the older woman before turning back to her student.

"Miss Granger, I believe that wouldn't be any of your business," Maddy replied in a saccharine tone completely unlike her own. It was actually a perfect imitation of Umbridge's voice, a fact which was not lost on Hermione, who raised an eyebrow in distaste.

"I'd like your wand now, please," Maddy added, holding out her hand.

Hermione obliged, though she slapped it into Maddy's palm a bit harder than necessary. Then she whirled around and walked out of the room. Umbridge smiled after her, then walked up to Maddy.

"Very well done, dear. I heard about what you did earlier. I think it will do Mr. Potter a world of good, in fact. Though I'd like to offer a few tips on handling him."

She rummaged through a bright pink purse, pulling out an ordinary-looking quill. "You will find _this_ to be very useful. Requires no ink whatsoever, and might just be more effective than cleaning out the Room of Requirement."

Maddy eyed it uneasily. "I, er, appreciate it very much, Dolores. But I believe I'll reserve that particular punishment for his next _inevitable_ detention. I've already got plans for Harry the next few Saturdays. He'll have a challenging enough time of it as it is."

She flashed a brilliant smile at Umbridge to show she was grateful for the offer, however. The older witch didn't seem offended in the least, but merely smiled again, and placed the quill back in her purse.

"Very well. What on earth did Miss Granger do?" she asked with interest.

"Oh, Hermione? She, uh, just made an insolent remark during Arithmancy class yesterday. She's a remarkable student, but _quite_ the know-it-all, isn't she? Anyway, I told her she could have it taken away for the evening for her trouble. Not much of a punishment, come to think of it, but ... whatever."

Maddy shrugged and stood up, stretching. Taking Hermione's wand, she dropped it into her bag, and stuffed some miscellaneous papers in for good measure.

"Well, I'm off to mark some exams in my rooms, I think." Maddy walked to the door and waited for Umbridge to leave first, before following behind the squat woman. They walked together for a while, at one point passing Minerva McGonagall, who narrowed her eyes hatefully at Maddy as she headed in the other direction. Umbridge smiled serenely at the gesture, but said nothing.

Finally, Maddy reached a hallway where she began to head in a different direction, toward her rooms.

"Have a good evening, Dolores," she said, before walking away.

The other witch patted her back kindly. "I will, dear. I'm off to inspect that half-giant oaf again. What a waste of my time. But don't work too hard!" She chuckled merrily at her own humor, and waddled off down the hallway.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

By the next morning, Maddy was nowhere to be seen at breakfast. Hermione stopped by her office afterward _and_ several more times, feeling increasingly impatient that she had no wand yet. She knew Maddy had no classes to teach on Fridays, and she wondered if perhaps the woman had left Hogwarts for the weekend and forgotten about her. In addition, Maddy's inexplicable behavior toward Harry made her seethe even more, and by late afternoon, she was completely disgusted. She decided, teacher or no, she would find Maddy's chambers and demand her wand back.

After a few wrong turns, Hermione eventually found what she was looking for. She knocked forcefully on Maddy's door, but no one answered. Sighing in frustration, Hermione looked around to make sure she was alone, then tried the knob. To her surprise, the door opened easily. When she walked in, however, she was hit with a stench so horrible that she gagged uncontrollably. _God, what had happened in here? _

"Mad- Professor O'Hannon?" Hermione called out nasally, holding her nose as best she could. She inched her way inside and closed the door behind her. She could see nothing at first, and cursed her wand's absence, which would have made putting the lamp on much easier. As her eyes grew accustomed to the dim light, she saw the shadow of a wand on the table next to Maddy's bed. It was her own.

She grabbed it quickly, muttering "_Lumos_."

The room was immediately bathed in the glow of her wand, and Hermione looked around in confusion. It didn't take long to realize that Maddy had been extremely sick, and all over the place. The girl waved her wand again, repeating a cleaning spell that luckily cleared up the mess in short order, enabling her to breathe once again without being sick herself.

She then headed to the loo with trepidation, but Maddy was nowhere to be found. It didn't take long to finish up her search and realize that she was alone, and in any case she had gotten what she came for. Then a thought came to her. _Fred and George_. Those idiots must have been behind this. Despite Maddy's unfair treatment of Harry, Hermione left her teacher's rooms determined to give _that_ pair a piece of her mind. She had overheard them the previous day, bragging quietly about what kind of revenge to enact on Maddy for not one, but _two_ unreasonable detentions in a single day. Well, apparently they had succeeded.

She made it back to the Gryffindor dormitories and marched straight over to Fred and George, who were lounging on couches in the common room.

"What on earth did you do to her?" Hermione demanded.

They looked back at her in confusion.

"Who?" Fred asked indignantly.

"Maddy, that's who!"

"Ha! We haven't done anything to O'Hannon ... _yet_! We're biding our time at the moment," George answered for his brother.

"Oh, right! She's been sick as a dog, and it had to be you lot that did it to her!"

George shrugged. "Can't say I'm sorry to hear that, but stop blaming us for it! Maybe some other enterprising student had the same idea."

"So you had _nothing_ to do with it?"

Fred tossed a quaffle up in the air. "Isn't that what we just said? If you find out who it was, though, be sure and tell us so we can thank them personally!"

He sounded exceptionally bitter, given that the teacher in question had sorely disappointed him by her actions. Whatever amorous feelings he had ever felt for Maddy had vanished.

Hermione glared at the twins for a few seconds, but gave up.

"Where's Harry?"

"Up in his room, I think. Probably cursing O'Hannon as we speak, the bloody hag. She's really turned out to be Umbridge's clone, hasn't she? I heard Sirius dumped her; that must be why." George laughed evilly. "I bet she's taking it out on poor Harry in retaliation."

Hermione ignored them, and went up the stairs to Harry and Ron's dormitory, making sure to knock first.

"Guys? It's Hermione."

She heard a shuffling noise, then the door opened to reveal Harry. His hair was rumpled, as if he had been asleep. He put his glasses on and motioned for her to come in.

"Hiya, Hermione."

"How's it going, Harry?"

He shrugged slightly but said nothing.

"I wondered if I could take a look at the marauder's map," Hermione said.

"Oh ... sure. Why?"

He headed for his trunk, with Hermione close behind, and knelt down in front of it, rummaging through clothing. Finally, he pulled out a thick, tattered piece of parchment and unfolded it, handing it to her.

"Why do you want it?" he asked.

"I'm trying to find Maddy."

"Right. When you do, give her a nice hex for me, won't you?" he said bitterly. "I'd really like to know what her problem is."

Hermione shrugged helplessly. "No idea, Harry. Mind if I look at the map?"

She tapped it with her wand while muttering the words to activate it. Ink slowly began to bleed on the parchment, and after several moments, it was crowded with names of the inhabitants of Hogwarts.

"Oh, dear." Hermione had forgotten how difficult the map was to read, but she sighed and sank down on Ron's bed, squinting at the small print that moved constantly.

Ron, who had been napping also, awoke groggily and seemed surprised to find Hermione sitting on the edge of his bed.

"What're you doing here?" he slurred. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on the girl in front of him.

Hermione ignored him, and pointed to a place on the map.

"There! She's in the infirmary. I should've known."

"Who's in the infirmary?" Ron asked.

"Maddy," Hermione replied absently. "Thanks, guys."

She left the map behind without bothering to disable it, and walked out of the room, just as Seamus was entering. He, along with Harry and Ron, stared after her in bewilderment.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The hospital wing was almost empty of patients, except for Maddy's inert form. She lay almost completely hidden under the covers, with only a tuft of dark hair exposed. Hermione could see Madam Pomfrey at her desk, scribbling with her quill on some parchment. She was absorbed in her writing and didn't look up.

"Maddy?" Hermione whispered.

"Mmmm..." came the mumbled response. Hermione reached out a hand, but jerked it away quickly when Maddy groaned.

"_Merlin_, what _happened_ to you?" The girl asked urgently.

"Those fucking goblins," Maddy whispered. She didn't bother watching her language. "God, this is painful."

"What?? Let me see you!"

Maddy whimpered in protest and tried to keep the covers pulled over herself. Just then, Madam Pomfrey emerged from her office holding a small phial.

"Oh! I didn't know anyone was in here. Time for your draught, Maddy."

Her voice held a slight edge of disapproval. News of Maddy's punishment of Harry had possibly reached her ears as well.

"Could you be a dear and move over just a bit?" Pomfrey said to Hermione, who was still standing at Maddy's side.

She yanked the covers off Maddy, who still protested feebly. Hermione gasped and took an involuntary step backward. Maddy's face, and apparently her body, looked as though it had been slashed repeatedly with a knife. Whatever had been oozing out of them had stemmed, though, for the most part, and the lacerations were coated in a thick crust of ... something _disgusting_. Hermione couldn't tell what, though it didn't appear to be blood.

"What happened to her?" she whispered to Madam Pomfrey.

"Some strange curse. We think it's foreign. Not sure what, but I think the worst is over, and it's begun to heal. Professor Dumbledore and Dolores Umbridge were in here earlier and spoke with her. She won't tell _me_ much of anything, though," the nurse harrumphed.

But then she softened slightly. "Poor girl dragged herself in here in the middle of the night, absolutely reeking and covered in puke, with nobody around to help her. Looked like a gang of muggles had stabbed her. She was clutching her wand, and said it was something to do with that. Albus took it away to examine it."

"_That's_ begun to heal?" Hermione still looked horror-stricken. Poor Maddy still looked as though she had a long way to go before she could be considered healed, but Hermione decided to take Pomfrey's word for it.

Maddy moaned again, and Pomfrey leaned closer to her.

"Could I speak to Hermione alone for a minute?" the patient asked softly.

"After your draught, young lady," Pomfrey said reprovingly. "Now take it, please. Then I'll leave you alone for a bit."

Hermione watched as Maddy struggled to raise herself up. Pomfrey helped her with the liquid, which was apparently very bitter. Maddy gagged, trying to swallow it, but she managed to get it down.

"Poor thing ... she couldn't stop vomiting, all night and this morning, apparently. She was very dehydrated. But I've managed to correct that, at least. The _sores_ are another story."

She patted her patient sympathetically, helping her to lie back down.

"Keep it to five minutes or so, Hermione. She needs to rest." The older woman turned to go back into her office.

"Hermione," Maddy said softly, after the nurse had left.

"Yeah?"

"I'm supposed to meet Sirius tonight. Obviously I can't. But don't tell anyone."

Hermione paused, unsure what Maddy wanted. Where on earth was she meeting Sirius?

"Can you let him know? He'll be in the Shrieking Shack."

"But I thought -" the girl began, but stopped herself.

"What?"

"Oh, I just thought the two of you had broken up."

"No. We patched things up. Can you tell him it'll have to be next week? I hate to put you in the middle, though. I'd send a patronus, but Albus has the wand I was using, and the other one is ... in an inconvenient place. It'd be hard for you to find." She didn't elaborate.

"Oh. It's ... uh, no problem. But can Harry go with me? He'd like to see Sirius, I'm sure."

Maddy closed her eyes for a moment, and Hermione wondered if the draught was making her too sleepy to talk. But then she opened them again.

"Sorry ... this shit is really painful. But it comes in waves, it seems. Yeah, I think Harry can go, if you'd rather. I really appreciate it. Hopefully I'll be better by tomorrow and I can do his detention."

Hermione had her doubts about that, and wondered why on earth a detention was so important to her teacher, but it reminded her of something.

"Maddy, why'd you do that to him anyway?" she asked softly, then looked up.

Pomfrey had come back to stand by the door, and at Hermione's glance, she pointed at the clock to indicate that five minutes were almost up. Maddy saw the motion.

"He'll be alright, Hermione. I'm glad you found your wand. And it's safe, I'm sure. It's why _I'm_ hurt so badly, actually. Pull out the parchment I gave you and say _kheper saret._"

"_Kheper saret_," Hermione repeated. It didn't sound like any spell she had ever used. She tried to silently puzzle out why Maddy would be hurt so, but her thoughts were interrupted as her teacher continued.

"It will stop the symbols from moving around and changing. If you have problems translating it, I'll help you when I get better. It should explain things. Oh, and please tell Harry-"

"That's enough, Hermione. Time for you to go," came the voice of Madame Pomfrey from the doorway.

"I was supposed to meet Sirius at six. Can you be there then?" Maddy asked quickly, then gasped when her body reacted to the curse again.

Hermione grimaced, seeing some of the cuts ooze a noxious substance, but she nodded. "Sure."

She felt queasy even thinking about going near the Whomping Willow, but if that was the only way to get to Sirius, she would do it.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Shortly thereafter, Hermione found Harry and Ron in the common room. She dragged them off to a corner and told them quietly about Maddy's planned meeting with Sirius, the mysterious curse which had befallen her, and her request that they meet him in the Shrieking Shack.

"You're kidding! I'm not doing _her_ any favors," Harry argued bitterly. He was secretly grateful that she hadn't been hurt any worse, though. If anything, her behavior mystified him even more, since the theory about her and Sirius breaking up had just been disproved by Hermione.

"Harry, stop worrying about your stupid detentions. At least it's not Umbridge doing them. You don't want Sirius to worry, do you?"

"I don't particularly want to get killed by the Whomping Willow, either, on her account!"

Then a thought struck him. "I've got that mirror he gave me, somewhere. I'll try that first."

Harry hated not to see his godfather, since the opportunities to do so were limited. But he was also loathe to admit that he was slightly jealous that Sirius had come here to see Maddy, and not him. Then he felt guilty for such a traitorous thought. She was his girlfriend, after all, and it wasn't like Sirius should be hanging around Hogwarts anyway. And Harry couldn't leave so easily, especially with Umbridge constantly skulking around, looking for ways to punish him. But a renewed sense of anger at Maddy welled up inside him, and he decided that Sirius could just make do with a message through the mirror. _If _he was around to answer.

Ron had already decided that a trip to the Whomping Willow was not going to happen with _him_, anyway, and declared Harry and Hermione to be complete nutters if they tried it. Harry, meanwhile, had begun to scrounge around in his trunk again, this time for the two-way mirror. Finding it still wrapped in tissue paper, he took it out for the first time.

"I'm not really sure how you use this," he muttered. "Sirius?"

The mirror remained blank.

"Sirius!" he repeated, louder this time.

At first, nothing happened. But just when Harry was about to give up and put the mirror back, he saw a pair of grey eyes flash in the mirror.

"Sirius! Can you hear me?" he said softly.

"Yes. How are you, Harry? What's going on?"

"Well ..." Harry didn't really know where to start.

"Give it to me," Hermione commanded. "Sirius, Maddy's been injured. She wanted us to let you know she can't meet you tonight."

"Injured? What happened?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Is she alright?"

Hermione paused. Maddy certainly didn't _look_ alright.

"Well ... she says she's feeling better now. I don't really know all the details. I only saw her for a few minutes, and, to be honest, she looks pretty rough to me. I think she, um, was hit with a curse."

"A curse?" Sirius sounded even more incredulous. "By whom?!"

"She made it sound as though it was from her wand."

"Well, that makes no sense whatsoever. How could her wand curse her?"

"Retaliation, probably, for what she did!" Ron couldn't resist saying.

"What'd he say?" Sirius asked, trying to peer past Hermione's face to see who had spoken.

Ron spoke up again. "Your girlfriend gave Harry a detention for tomorrow night. And_ next _Saturday! Over something stupid!"

Sirius looked even more confused. "Well ... surely you did ... _something_, right? What happened, Harry?"

"I didn't do anything!" Harry protested heatedly, before Hermione shushed him.

"Oh, who cares about that now? The point is, Sirius, that Maddy asked us to meet you in the Shrieking Shack to say she couldn't be there. But I guess the mirror is a better idea, after all." Hermione wasn't quite as concerned about the injustice of a few detentions as were Harry and Ron.

"I'm coming to see her," Sirius said decisively. "Listen, I'll -"

"Sirius, I'm pretty sure Maddy would feel horrible if you had to sneak here to see her," Hermione said. "You don't know how Umbridge is. We can't let you get into trouble for being on the grounds. Who knows _what_ she might do!"

"I don't care about _her_," Sirius said dismissively. "I'm in Hogsmeade anyway. Meet me just outside the west courtyard doors in an hour, okay? I'll be Padfoot." And then the face disappeared.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

An hour later, as promised, the large black dog sat waiting just outside the doors where he had arranged to meet the students. The students saw him as soon as they opened the door, and let him in. Hermione looked anxiously around in case anyone happened to be close by, but thus far they were completely alone. Padfoot quickly stood on his hind legs, putting his front paws on Harry's shoulders in greeting. Harry smiled at him. He had forgotten how much he missed his godfather, no longer than he had been back at school.

"C'mon, Padfoot," Hermione said with urgency, as if he needed any encouragement. The dog began to trot down the hallway ahead of them, and they were forced to struggle to keep up. Then Padfoot came to a screeching halt at the end of the hallway. To their surprise, he began to limp heavily once they caught up to him. As the students rounded the corner, they saw why. Argus Filch was coming down the hallway wearing a murderous expression, with his detestable cat, Mrs. Norris, wrapped around his neck. The cat noticed Padfoot at the same time, and began to hiss furiously. Padfoot growled right back, and Filch's eyes narrowed to slits.

"And just what is going on here?" he sputtered while trying to shove a bushy cat tail out of his face.

Hermione spoke up. "We found an injured dog, and thought we should take him to Madame Pomfrey to be checked out. He's not doing so well."

She hoped that Filch might hold a soft spot for dogs as well as cats, but she was mistaken.

"Well, no dogs are allowed here as pets! Get rid of 'im, or you'll hear from the high inquisitor," he spat out. "Might just do that anyway."

Hermione sighed patiently. "We _will_ get rid of him, just as soon as he's seen."

And at that, she stepped pointedly past the caretaker and continued down the hall while escorting the limping Padfoot, with Harry and Ron trailing behind. Filch called something after them, but Hermione increased her step and didn't bother responding.

Other than passing a few curious students and luckily dodging Snape, who happened to have his back to them headed in the other direction, they made it to the hospital wing with no further incidents. As soon as Harry opened the heavy door to the infirmary, Padfoot shot ahead of them, straight to Maddy's bed. Madam Pomfrey ran out of her office, shrieking in a tone reminiscent of Molly Weasley, and Ron jumped in response.

"Get that animal out of here now! Animals do _not_ belong in the hospital wing!"

At that moment, the students realized that Maddy had a guest. Albus Dumbledore sat by her bed, speaking quietly with her. They both looked over at the large dog who had suddenly appeared, hovering protectively over Maddy. She took one look at Padfoot and touched his face.

"You shouldn't be here. But I've missed you," she whispered.

Padfoot reached over to her, licking her face as Madam Pomfrey protested.

"Albus! That dog -"

"Poppy. It's the same dog who was here last June. It's alright. He belongs to Madeleine. And he's Harry's friend."

He winked slightly at them both before turning back to the indignant nurse.

"Now. Bill should be here shortly, and I believe he will be able to assist us in removing what's left of this curse."

"Bill?" Ron asked. "My brother Bill?"

"The same," Dumbledore replied. "He is quite experienced in dealing with this type of thing, having seen it in his capacity at Gringotts."

Hermione frowned at Maddy, having just realized something. "But surely Maddy – I mean Professor O'Hannon – would have seen this before, as well, wouldn't she?"

Maddy looked away from Padfoot and up at Hermione. "I spent most of my time in the London offices, and dealt with more things indigenous to this area. Bill was out in the field, in other countries, much more than myself. And this particular curse was put in place by goblins, anyway. Which I should have known."

She gasped suddenly. Padfoot jumped up in alarm, watching as Maddy suffered another painful episode. The sores that were visible broke open again as the onlookers watched with horrified fascination. Afterward, she slumped back against the pillow, breathing heavily. Despite her ability to make conversation, it was obvious she was becoming very worn down by the effects of the curse.

The dog whirled around to face Dumbledore, then nodded over to the nurse, who had rushed back over. The headmaster seemed to understand. Once Pomfrey had cleansed the wounds, he motioned to her.

"Poppy, you wouldn't excuse us all for a few minutes, would you?"

The nurse looked doubtfully at him. "I can't leave my patient, Albus! You saw what just happened."

"She will be fine. It won't take long, I promise. And if you don't mind, keep everyone else out of here, as well, if you know what I mean. Unless it is Bill Weasley. Dolores already knows he's coming."

Pomfrey's eyes hardened and she set her lips in a thin line. She hated Umbridge as much as anyone. With a glance at Maddy and Padfoot, she grudgingly agreed to stand guard outside the doors. The heavy door shut with a thud, and Padfoot wasted no time in transforming to Sirius. He sank to his knees beside the cot where Maddy lay.

"Hi, darling. Dear God, what happened to you?" He asked anxiously, planting a soft kiss on her lips.

Maddy smiled faintly. "I'm impressed you're willing to do that. I wouldn't have made a very good date tonight, after all. Pretty disgusting, huh?"

Sirius didn't smile. "Never. So what happened?"

"Well, as long as all of us are in here, I'll say this once and get it out of the way. I charmed Hermione's wand so she can read Gringotts' code more easily. Unfortunately, I forgot that the whole thing might backfire on me. But I got it done in the end."

She unconsciously reached for one of the sores, and shuddered. Sirius' eyes locked with hers, and he stroked her face with tenderness. Harry and Hermione noticed, and were touched by the display.

Albus interrupted firmly. "But I'll take Miss Granger's wand, regardless, to test it. We don't want _this_ happening to her."

Maddy nodded. "I think it's fine, but go ahead. It was just an idea, to make communications easier in future, if need be. But anyway, Harry, I need to tell you about the detentions."

At the mention of_ that_ sore subject, Harry merely grimaced, for Sirius' sake, and looked away.

"Harry, I'm trying to score you guys some Defense practices. That's all. I figured if I made it seem like I was punishing you, it would ... well, sorry ... make Umbridge _like_ me more, and be much less suspicious of anything I do. That's why they're in the Room of Requirement. I didn't mean for it to be such a big deal. I'm sorry about all that. Every time I've tried to explain myself, _she_ showed up."

Harry looked at her with surprise. "Oh ... well, thanks."

"It's a relief, you knowing. I felt horrible doing that to you. Especially in front of a bunch of Slytherins. But perhaps you can be thinking of a creative way to get other students in there that won't arouse too much suspicion. I think Umbridge will buy that I'm humiliating you by letting some people watch, but that won't work more than once or twice. Fortunately she's already mentioned to me that she's to be in London tomorrow and next weekend, so we shouldn't have to worry about her showing up."

Then she managed a wry grin. "I had no idea how much bloody work it is to be evil! Don't know why people bother, myself."

Harry smiled back at her for the first time.

Sirius, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, spoke up.

"Are you still getting some Hogsmeade weekends, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "For now, anyway."

"Well, when you have your next one, I should be able to help you out with the practices, as well. If all goes according to plan." He delivered this line with a smug grin.

Maddy looked up at him. "How's that?"

Sirius clasped her hand tightly and smiled. "When you are better, I'll show you myself."

Then he glanced up at Dumbledore. "Could I speak to you in your office later?"

Albus raised his eyebrows slightly. "Of course."

Sirius looked evenly at him. "There are a few things you and I need to discuss."


	25. A Vision, Revealed

With the threat of Umbridge's presence looming, the three students decided to make a hasty exit back to the Gryffindor dormitories, having been instructed not to say anything to the other students for the moment. Madam Pomfrey still stood watch outside the door as they filed out, though she happened to glance inside as the door opened. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Sirius Black sitting by Maddy's bed, talking quietly. Then he turned, looking over in her direction at that moment, and their eyes met. As Pomfrey stared at him in shock, he raised an eyebrow wryly and put a finger to his lips. Her look changed to one of shrewd calculation, and she put a hand to her own lips, making a gesture of sealing it. Then she pointed at Maddy with a questioning look. Sirius nodded as if to say _she's okay_. The door slowly closed shut, and Pomfrey went back to standing guard.

She considered, not for the first time, the ingenuity of Sirius Black. The presence of the black dog earlier this evening reminded her of the mystery, a few years back, of how the man had been getting into the castle while on the run. Perhaps this explained it. She vaguely recalled Albus's reticence, after Sirius was freed, in answering anyone who wondered about how he had managed to do it. Then the dog had made an appearance last year in the hospital wing with Harry Potter after the Tri-Wizard Tournament, though at the time the nurse had never dreamt that it might be Sirius. Pomfrey wondered how on earth he had managed to keep it under wraps. Well, there would be no question of her spilling _that_ little secret. Her loyalties lay with Dumbledore, and anyone he counted as a friend. Not the Ministry, nor that despicable high inquisitor who was hell-bent on taking over the school ... the stupid woman. And with an internal huff of disgust, Pomfrey went back to her watch.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Albus, who had left Sirius and Maddy alone for a few moments while idly examining Hermione's wand, felt the need to speak up once more before leaving them.

"Madeleine, I think you should be prepared to give Umbridge a more thorough 'explanation' for your wand mishap. By now, she must be wondering why that would have happened to you, and I imagine Bill Weasley's presence will make her positively chomping at the bit to know more."

The door opened quickly, and Pomfrey hurried in.

"They're coming up the stair," she whispered. "Back you go," she added in an imperious tone, pointing to Sirius. He immediately obliged by transforming into Padfoot again.

A few moments later, Umbridge brushed past her, dragging a hapless Bill Weasley by the sleeve of his leather coat, with his ponytail swaying back and forth in protest.

"Maddy, dear! Here he is!"

Her gaze swung over to the dog who sat on his haunches, licking Maddy's hand.

"What on earth is that beast doing here?" she asked sharply.

"The dog has taken to me," Maddy said weakly. "He was injured, and some students brought him up here to be healed. Madam Pomfrey felt sorry for him and let me keep him with me."

Bill looked pointedly at Maddy, barely keeping a straight face. Then he seemed to notice her pitiful state, and he wrenched himself free of Umbridge's grip and walked over to her.

"Nice doggie," he said cheekily to Sirius, though only Maddy noticed.

Padfoot growled playfully at him, and Maddy rubbed his fur. Umbridge softened a bit.

"Well ... can't say I'm a dog person, but if that mongrel would make you feel better, then I suppose he may stay. It is a ... 'him', isn't it?"

She cast an inquiring gaze between Padfoot's legs.

"Yeah, definitely," Maddy finally managed to say, hard pressed not to smile herself.

Padfoot turned around, shooting an baleful look at her, and deliberately adjusted his position.

The subject was tactfully changed by Bill Weasley, who requested that the room be emptied before any spell reversal could take place. He gave Madam Pomfrey a ghost of a wink, indicating that he really only meant Umbridge. The high inquisitor complied, albeit grudgingly, but promised to check back on Maddy as soon as possible. Dumbledore followed her out of the room, bound for his office. He instructed Bill to drop by and see him once he was finished, earning a suspicious look from Umbridge. Dumbledore didn't appear to notice, however, and went on his way apart from her.

"Ah, the indignities one must endure when one is an animagus," Bill commented as he pulled his wand out. He grinned at Sirius, who was now a person once more.

"Just be glad it wasn't _your_ bits the old hag was checking out," Sirius retorted.

Madam Pomfrey, who had watched these events, snorted with amusement and moved closer to observe. Sirius moved out of Bill's way so the other wizard could get a look at Maddy.

"Well, she certainly made sure to get an eyeful. Now, young lady, what exactly were you playing at?" Bill asked, looking over her. "You _never_ fuck with goblin stuff, for crying out loud!" He shook his head and pulled a face at the disgusting sores that still covered her body.

Maddy rolled her eyes at him, then gasped as another wave of pain came over her.

"Just get on with it, eh? Then we'll talk about goblins."

Sirius cut in anxiously. "You do know what this curse is, don't you?"

"Oh yeah," Bill replied confidently. "The Gringotts goblins arrange to pass along information through our wands to assist in deciphering their little code. Vindictive lot, though, aren't they? This type of curse is designed not to be irreversible, per se, but really to flush out any traitors among us. Then they'd _really_ stick it to you. And where little Maddy was an apprentice when they fixed her wand up, they conveniently didn't tell her about that. Anyway, here goes nothing, m'dear. Shouldn't take long."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Fortunately, Bill knew exactly how to reverse the spell, and spoke to Sirius at length about wizarding lore during the process, while Madam Pomfrey looked on. In between incantations, he commented that goblins really had ancient Egyptian wizards to thank for their own repertoire of curses, even if they chose to pretend otherwise. Then, finally, the last remnants of the curse were erased, and Maddy was able to sit up.

"Thanks so much, Bill," she said, groaning at the effort. "You're an angel for coming all the way up here. And braving _her_."

"Oh yeah, I should've been a healer. And you're forever in my debt, did I mention that?" he joked back.

"Really? Well, we'll have to buy you and Fleur dinner or something for a start," Maddy said, laughing. She examined her body for any further anomalies. Finding none, she stood up and stretched.

"Well, I really need to call it a night, much as I'd love to chat with you, Bill. I'm exhausted. Are you going back before long?"

Bill nodded. "Yeah. No need to hang around this place. Blimey, Maddy, Umbridge really likes you! What'd you _do_?"

Sirius took Maddy's hand as she answered. "I'm trying to get in good with her so she'll leave Harry to me, and hopefully get the group some Defense practices under her stubby little nose in the bargain. She's pretty cruel to him. The curse thing happened when I tried to transfer some information to Hermione's wand. I thought it would be a good communication method. It didn't like that," she added, with a twisted smile at the understatement.

"Damn, woman, you must like to live dangerously. That curse has a graduated effect. If you'd just stopped earlier, it wouldn't have been this bad for you."

Maddy shrugged. "I did realize that once I was in the middle of it and the projectile vomiting kicked in. But I figured I'd better get all the way through. I didn't want to mess things up with her wand. Live and learn," she added drolly. "And you're going to look over Hermione's wand as well, aren't you, just in case?"

"Yeah," Bill replied. "I'll check hers and yours."

Maddy turned to Sirius hesitantly. "What are you going to do now?"

"Bill can escort me to Albus's office. I've been wanting a word with him once he gets done. And then ... well, perhaps I could come back to see you," he said, sounding a bit hesitant himself.

"I would really like that," Maddy admitted. "But I don't want you getting caught on my account, either."

"He'll figure something out," Bill cut in with a wink. "Fooling that lot is like shooting fish in a barrel, after all. I believe I'll wait outside for you. Don't be too long, kids."

He waved at Madam Pomfrey, who appeared very relieved to have her sole patient discharged.

"Thank you, Bill," the nurse called, bustling over to him as she stifled a huge yawn. "Sure you're okay, Maddy?"

"Oh, yeah. Much better. Thanks for everything," Maddy answered, yawning in response.

Once Sirius had changed back to Padfoot under the watchful eye of the school nurse, the trio left the hospital wing. Maddy parted ways with them when they reached a larger corridor at the foot of the stairs. She thanked Bill again, kissed Padfoot on top of the head, and went to her own rooms as they set off in the opposite direction.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"They're fine," Bill concluded as he waved Maddy's wand around for the last time. He handed it off to Sirius, instructing him to reassure her that her wand would still scramble and unscramble code as it had previously.

"If you two need anything, though, let me know, mate." He clapped Sirius on the back, then turned to Albus.

"Dumbledore, when you decide on the next meeting, send me a patronus. I'd best be off. I'd rather not run into my Auntie Muriel's clone out there, if you get my meaning." He rolled his eyes. "I think the old bat almost dislocated my shoulder, hauling me into the infirmary." He rubbed the affected limb as he walked out the door.

It shut firmly behind him, and Sirius turned back to Dumbledore. The headmaster gestured for him to sit, but Sirius declined, feeling restless. As a student, he had always been fascinated by the artifacts in Dumbledore's office, and now he preferred to walk around the room as they spoke, observing them again.

"How can I help you, Sirius?"

Sirius stopped for a moment, regarding the older wizard. "Why are you allowing the Ministry to have so much control over Hogwarts? And more specifically, why is Umbridge allowed to get away with so much? Are you really in charge of this place, or have you just given up?"

He hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but his ire rose as he spoke. Umbridge's ill-treatment of Harry had been bothering him for quite some time, though up until now he had left things in Dumbledore's hands. The arrival of Maddy and any danger she might be in from her covert actions only made him feel that much more protective.

"Well, first of all, I don't _own_ Hogwarts. The Ministry has always held a certain amount of power over the school. And Sirius, Harry should have come to me when the abuse started with Dolores. I am not omnipotent, after all. I knew she was punishing him, but I assumed it was only detentions, and nothing more."

"Well, even that! He's here to learn, Albus, not suffer through pointless detentions!"

Instead of being offended, Dumbledore's face broke into a grin.

"You know, Sirius, I do believe you will make a wonderful father some day. But as for detentions, well, they didn't hurt you any, did they? Look how you turned out. An excellent, clever wizard with a good heart. Harry's learned much more outside the classroom – including from his godfather – than he ever has inside it."

"Me, a father?" Sirius asked drolly. "If that ever happens, which I take leave to doubt, I worry that I'll be just like my own was."

"Then you're worrying needlessly. You are absolutely nothing like him."

Albus's gaze flickered behind Sirius, where his pensieve sat, the contents glowing, in the corner. Sirius saw the look, and turned around to glance at it.

"So. I don't like to pry, but I assume everything has been ironed out with Madeleine? It certainly appeared that way."

Sirius didn't turn back around, but continued looking at the stone basin, entranced by the light cast from it.

"Yes, it has." He smiled briefly.

Albus continued. "You know, I've known Madeleine since she was an eleven year old here at Hogwarts. There are some very interesting similarities in your lives. You've both experienced so much unhappiness at the hands of your families. I'm happy that you've both managed to get past all that."

Sirius, who had finally ambled over to Dumbledore's pensieve, looked around at the older wizard.

"Yeah. I think we've gotten past quite a bit," he said. "Tell me something. What can happen to Madeleine if she gets caught doing this?"

"Well, I made a point of giving her a worst-case scenario. Theoretically, she could go to Azkaban for it. I've no idea if that would actually _happen_, mind you, but it's a possibility, however slight. I don't imagine Umbridge would take kindly to being double-crossed."

Sirius closed his eyes tightly. Before he could speak again, though, Dumbledore did.

"She's not worried, Sirius. She's being very careful. Madeleine wants to do something useful ... she's anxious to be a bit of a rebel. She isn't interested in teaching whatsoever. I knew that when I had Severus ask her to take over for Professor Vector. I am sure she only agreed because of the argument she had with you just prior."

"Told you about that, did she?" Sirius asked faintly.

"Yes." Dumbledore didn't elaborate. Sirius noticed him glance at the pensieve again.

"Mind if I look at it a bit more closely?" the younger wizard asked.

Dumbledore's expression was guarded, but he shrugged. "Not at all." He followed Sirius over to the basin.

Sirius gazed down into the swirling contents, taking care not to get too close. As he looked, he noticed that they gradually seemed to organize themselves into various configurations. He squinted, trying to see them better, when he saw someone familiar, whose face rippled, smiling, in the depths. Himself.

"That's me!" he exclaimed incredulously, peering closer for a better look. What was he doing in the pensieve? He took a finger and probed it, singling out that particular memory and causing another ripple. Whose memory was it? He leaned even closer.

"Sirius, if you'll wait just a min-"

But Sirius had already plunged his head into the instrument, and his body seemed to flail in a panic before landing on a patch of grass with a gentle thump. He looked around to get his bearings, and saw himself once more. The other Sirius didn't notice this one, of course, but was concentrating on watching a small boy run and jump. The Sirius that intruded upon this scene stood and walked over. The vision was curiously very fuzzy, not crystal clear, and appeared faded like an old muggle photograph. Then he heard a woman's voice and suddenly saw Maddy next to him. She was heavily pregnant and looking at his other self with a smile.

"I thought you were ... utter ... few words of wisdom to your future child," she teased, pointing at her large belly. "Can't think of anything?" Some words were missing as if it was a very old memory, and half forgotten.

"Of course ... can, dear," the other Sirius answered with a grin.

He stole another glance at his son, who was completely oblivious while playing close by, and leaned over to Maddy's belly, giving it a gentle kiss. She smiled.

He was silent for a moment, as if trying to remember something. But then, some inspiration struck him and he whispered something so low that Maddy couldn't hear. His speech went on for several moments, and so intent was he, concentrating on the occupant in her belly, that he didn't seem to notice the look she gave him. Then her hand reached out and touched his hair, which had more silver strands in it than it currently did. He looked up at her, their eyes locking as if they both knew how this scene was going to play out. Their own private joke. Then the image, which had broken up several times already, faded away. Sirius tried in vain now to see the little boy once more, but he was gone.

Interestingly enough, that scene was immediately replaced by another one which appeared identical, though it was much clearer. As he watched, the vision Sirius and Maddy began to speak, and he could hear every word.

Sirius had always assumed that visions were rather vague, misty images of portent, and he was surprised to see himself in such detail. He examined his older self, dappled in a mixture of bright sunlight and shade from a tree overhead. More than a few extra silver threads glinted in his dark hair, which was still long. He was lounging, propped on one elbow, on the grass next to his wife in a relaxed pose that seemed an echo of his marauder days with his friends on Hogwarts grounds. _Wife_, he thought suddenly as he turned toward Maddy, who was sitting in the shade. He took in everything about her. Her hair was up, fastened in a haphazard twist on the back of her head, but some strands had worked their way loose, and she brushed them out of her face periodically without thinking. Her belly seemed so huge that he figured she must be close to term, and she adjusted her position uncomfortably once or twice. Beads of sweat stood out on her forehead, and she had a rosy glow on her cheeks from exposure to the sun. She wore no ring, apparently due to her swollen fingers, but the harsh outline of one still existed, as though she had grappled with removing it recently.

Another sparkle in the corner of his eye caused Sirius to look back at himself, and he noticed a heavy platinum band on his own ring finger. Captivated by this scene, he wondered how long he and Madeleine had been married at this point. The boy looked to be about three or four years old, and was running around, squealing with delight as a puppy bounded after him.

"Daddy! Be the dog!" he hollered, running up to Sirius and falling on him forcefully.

The other Sirius groaned at the weight, but he shot a conciliatory grin toward his son.

"Not now, mate. Your mummy and I need to talk. Boring grown-up stuff. You go play with Albus some more." He smiled again, this time at his son's interesting taste in dog names.

Sirius, watching all of this, snorted with laughter at the exchange. He had to admit he was fascinated by Maddy's ability to _see_ things like this. _That _was some talent, or gift, however one wanted to view it.

Soon enough, though, vision Maddy got down to business.

"I thought you were going to utter a few words of wisdom to your future child, Siri." A smile played on her lips.

"I'm getting round to it, my dear. Have to make this a good one, y'know."

He gestured off in the distance to some unknown entity. Then, as he began to speak, slowly and distinctly at his wife's belly, the other Sirius was intrigued to find that, at times, _he_ was being addressed. He listened closely to what was being said. Some things were rather specific, though reasons for them were not given. A few comments seemed to be for Maddy's benefit. At one point, vision Sirius began to speak about the Ministry of Magic, but Maddy reached out and touched his hair, shaking her head softly.

"It's better not to go into that."

Sirius briefly rested his head against her belly in pause, then sat up. He kissed her thoroughly, looking her in the eye. The shrieking sounds of the boy's laughter as he played in the background made his father smile.

"I love you, Mad. You are everything to me. You, Regulus, and _this_ one."

She smiled back at him, growing teary-eyed. "I've always loved you, Sirius. Always."

Then she composed herself and laughed, dabbing at her eyes. "God, what a soppy pair we are! Anything else to add?"

Vision Sirius grinned at her and looked around at whomever might be watching. "I dunno. Don't think so."

The image faded then, and Sirius found himself staggering back in Dumbledore's office, trying to catch his balance. The other man held his arm to steady him. He stood there, silent with shock, and the headmaster watched him closely. Finally, Sirius turned to him.

"I was meant to see that, wasn't I?"

"Absolutely. I wouldn't have let you, otherwise. And personally, I rather liked Albus the dog."

"Why was the first one in such poor shape?"

"I've had that one preserved since Madeleine was fifteen. She was in here quite a bit after the tragedy with her parents. Just after you had been installed in Azkaban. She told me of the curious visions she'd had of you. I offered to save them for her. She had actually had that one at the age of ten ... it was her first vision. Thus, by the time it was saved in here, it was five years old. You'll notice, though, that your image in it was very clear? She never forgot any details about _you_. But obviously the words suffered, not meaning anything to her at the time."

Sirius was still gobsmacked, taking all this in. He pondered Dumbledore's words.

"Well, what about the second one? That must have been more recent."

"Within the last week, actually. Madeleine had just arrived here at Hogwarts, devastated and thinking you hated her. She'd had the same vision again, but felt cursed to have such a thing occur, as if her own mind was taunting her with happiness when her life was so clearly _unhappy_."

He looked pointedly at Sirius, who suddenly felt ashamed about those events all over again.

"Are there others?" Sirius couldn't help asking, though he wasn't at all sure he would be granted permission to view anymore.

"One I can show you, but only a minor one. Well, _I_ say that, but I believe that, despite its lack of substance, it has meant the world to Madeleine all these years. I don't think she'll mind you seeing it. She said she's told you about it, after all. She had this one on Halloween night, 1981."

Sirius nodded immediately and raised his eyebrows as he considered the significance of _that_ date. Albus took his finger, prodding the swirling contents around.

"Ah, I believe this is the one. It's not very long, but ... well, I'm sure you'll appreciate why she thought so much of it." He smiled smugly at the younger wizard, and gestured for him to repeat his earlier action.

Sirius obliged and leaned his head down into the basin once more. Immediately he had fallen into a snowy forest. Looking around, he saw himself and Maddy. She was holding up two wands. The observing Sirius quickly walked over to them so he could see them better.

"What's the matter?" Maddy was saying. The vision Sirius was smiling at her.

He answered, "Nothing at all," and took her in his arms, kissing her softly.

The kiss deepened, and she dropped both wands as she returned the kiss. She took his face in both hands, making small noises of pleasure. Sirius, watching this scene, was captivated by it and remembered the searing kiss vividly. After all, it had happened only a month or two before. God, Madeleine had _seen_ this at fifteen?

But as soon as the vision had started, it was over with just as abruptly, and Albus was catching Sirius by the arm once more to keep him from losing his balance.

"You said Halloween 1981. Why do you think she would see me then? Any theories?"

"Possibly," the older man answered. "From what she's said to me in the past, they seem to happen when something in your life is going badly. I'm not sure why that would be. But the first one she had was the same month you ran away from your parents' house. The second one ... well, you had most likely found out about James and Lily by then. And all the others? I can only speculate that since most happened the year you had escaped from Azkaban, they were because you were under great stress. Trying to capture Pettigrew, stay away from dementors, et cetera."

"Why _me_, though?" Sirius asked, not for the first time, though he knew Dumbledore had no answer for him. "Did she tell you about the time we met as children?"

"Yes, she told me about what her mother did. That could be it; I don't know. Madeleine has been every bit as curious about this phenomenon as you have. I wish I had answers for you both. But perhaps it's best just to accept that it happens, and be thankful for it. I'm sure these visions are unnerving, but they did help to save your life and grant your freedom."

"I hadn't forgotten that," Sirius answered softly.

"Don't forget this either: Visions or no, most things in life are choices we make. I don't believe for a minute that anything is ordained by the _sight_, or planetary movements, or what have you. In other words, I don't think what you saw is set in stone, if that eases your mind any."

Sirius nodded, looking back at the pensieve basin. "True," he conceded. "Now I'd like to see those again, if you don't mind."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

A soft knock sounded at the door, and Maddy, who had already dozed off in a chair, sat up with a start. She jumped off and walked into the anteroom. Opening the door, she saw Albus standing there with the large black dog.

"I'm delivering your friend, and I believe I'll be off to bed now," the headmaster said. "I'm glad you are healed, Madeleine. I hope you sleep very well tonight."

Then he turned to Padfoot. "Don't let this get back to your student friends, eh? I'd rather not give them any ideas about co-educational sleep-overs inside Hogwarts."

With the barest hint of a smile, Dumbledore bowed his head briefly in their direction, and walked away. Maddy called out a goodnight after him and shut the door. She turned just in time to see Padfoot's transformation into Sirius. Before she could say anything, he took her in his arms and held her tightly to him.

"I'd like to take you to bed. If you're not too tired, that is."

She hugged him closer. "I'm not. And I'd like nothing more."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

A visit from Dolores Umbridge came first thing in the morning, interrupting a very passionate round of sex. Maddy's first inclination was to ignore it and continue what she was doing, but the sharp rapping on the door only grew louder, until she was forced to throw some clothing on and answer. A very annoyed Sirius transformed quickly into Padfoot, and when Umbridge walked in, Maddy was still slightly out of breath and sweaty.

Fortunately, the visit was a short one, with Maddy still feigning a twinge of illness. The older witch promised to have breakfast sent via house elf, and, upon giving her a few pointers on handling Harry's detention, thankfully left, saying she was off to London until the next day.

"Don't overdo things today, dear," Umbridge said with some concern.

She looked over Maddy's disheveled appearance again. "Now I'd be happy to come back and take care of Mr. Potter if you need it. Or perhaps Professor Snape could do the honors?"

"Oh, no," Maddy reassured her, practically pushing the woman out the door. "Once I have some breakfast in me, I'll be perfectly fine. You go on and don't worry! I'll give you a full report upon your return."

Finally Umbridge was gone, promising food shortly.

"You may as well stay Padfoot," Maddy said wryly after she had shut the heavy door. "A house elf will be here soon. Reserve your energies," she added wickedly.

Sure enough, another knock came less than five minutes later, and a tiny female house elf appeared, struggling with a large tray filled with food. Maddy helped her set it down, and with a little bow, the elf snapped her fingers, disapparating out of the room. The scent of food was ambrosia to Maddy, who realized suddenly just how hungry she was. She had eaten nothing the previous day. She uncovered a few plates and found a piece of toast, which she stuffed in her mouth immediately. As she turned around to check on Sirius, he was standing naked behind her.

"What would you like first?" she asked, after swallowing the toast. Her stomach rumbled loudly, and he laughed.

"I think we'd better take care of this first," Sirius replied, pointing a finger lightly on her belly. "Then we can take care of ... _this_." He kissed her slowly in illustration, then his own stomach growled.

"Right. Let's eat," she said, laughing.

They sat in companionable silence on the bed, drinking tea and eating the huge breakfast before them. Sirius felt very content, and couldn't stop looking at Maddy, whenever her gaze was fixed on something else. She caught the look, and smiled quizzically at him a few times.

"What is it?" she finally asked.

"Can't I just look at you?" he asked, grinning back at her.

"Oh, of course. Don't let me stop you. I just thought I might have spinach in my teeth or something."

"No, you're just beautiful, is all."

"Aha. You'll be wanting the last piece of toast. I see how you are. Well, I suppose anyone who calls me beautiful can have it."

"Here," she said, passing the bread to his lips after smearing marmalade on it.

Sirius obligingly took a bite. "Yes, that's what I _really_ wanted," he joked.

She continued until she had given him the whole piece, letting him lick butter off her fingers softly when he got to the end.

"You've got some marmalade on your mouth," Maddy said softly, leaning over the tray. "I'll just eat that."

She ran her tongue lightly over his lips, and smiled when he shuddered.

"Oh, wait, I missed a spot," she added after stopping and pretending to observe her work.

Sirius watched her, his grey eyes nearly black with desire. The morning sun filtered in through the curtains, and as flecks of light caught in her hair, making it shine, he was reminded of what he had seen the previous night. Her hair hung down over an eye, and she brushed a lock carelessly out of her way as she tended to him again. He watched the motion, transfixed by the similarities.

"I could do this – " he said hoarsely, then stopped.

"You could do ... _what_?" Maddy whispered after licking his lips once more.

She took her wand, making the heavy tray disappear. Then, climbing into his lap, she let him remove her robe. She was naked underneath it, and he lay back, letting her kiss him with increasing passion.

"I could do this again, as well. Or was that what you meant?" she asked, brushing her lips over his throat.

Sirius groaned and let her maneuver his cock between her legs. She squirmed against it until he was completely inside her, and she lay on top of him, moving against him and kissing him. She took a hand as they continued to make love, caressing the side of his face.

"I just meant -" he began breathlessly, "I could do this – be with you – for the rest of my life, Mad." He tried out the name, thinking how different it felt to call her Mad instead of Madeleine, and he decided he liked it.

Maddy stopped, breathing heavily, and looked at him in amazement. "You saw it, didn't you? In Dumbledore's office?"

"Yes," Sirius answered. "I guess today's the day I call my future wife by her nickname."

He turned her over gently, and rolled on top of her. "Now let me make love to _you_."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"What made you change your mind?" Maddy asked as she lay in his arms later. "You're not afraid? You really think it will happen?"

"One question at a time," Sirius replied cheekily.

Then he grew more pensive, holding her more tightly for a moment before answering. "I think ... that I needed to hear it for myself ... well, _from_ myself," he corrected his statement. "It helped quite a bit. So, no, I'm not afraid. I don't think," he added quickly, and Maddy snorted amiably.

She looked up at him. "You know, I will never ask you to rush into something like that. Just so you know."

"Yeah, I do know that. Beautiful Mad. That could be a rather _unfortunate_ nickname, you know."

"Well, only you can call me that, _Siri_. Anyone else ever call you that?"

"Used to, occasionally, in school. Mostly it was Padfoot."

Maddy thought a minute. "So is it France, then? What did you think of that?" She referred to something else Sirius had mentioned in the vision.

He kissed her slowly. "I think that would be perfect. I know exactly where it will be, as a matter of fact. Just not _when_, I suppose. I've already been there. It's still just fucking amazing that you _saw_ it."

Sirius was silent for a little while, holding Maddy against him. He thought back to his wandering around Europe after being granted freedom, and how he had felt so aimless and despondent. Traveling through France, Sirius had stopped at a small resort town not far from Grenoble, called Annecy. It was possibly the most beautiful place he had ever been, on the edge of a glacier-fed lake. It was the middle of summer, and he had discovered an ancient abbey that had been converted to a hotel. Muggles were abundant in the warm weather, riding bicycles, swimming in the cold water, and strolling along the water's edge. Sirius hadn't cared that he was the only one of his kind, wanting nothing to do with wizards, anyway. He had gotten a room with a balcony overlooking the lake, and each evening he would sit outside, drinking wine and brooding. After spending several nights and a large amount of money to stay there, he had finally seen an event that made him want to leave. A wedding reception was being held in the starry twilight one evening, down below his room. Guests spilled out into the courtyard, swaying to the music and drinking. Once the happy couple made an appearance, Sirius had closed his eyes tightly. He felt James and Lily's deaths even more acutely when he saw this couple, who reminded him so much of the Potters on their own wedding day. God, even one of their groomsmen looked a little like him. _No more James, no more Lily, and I will never have this for myself,_ he had thought bitterly. Standing up, he had shoved the chair back with his legs and gone inside, slamming the door behind him.

"Everything alright in there?" Maddy asked, jolting him back to the present. "You're miles away."

She held on to him a little tighter, and Sirius felt for the first time in years that things couldn't possibly get any better.

"Everything is _absolutely_ alright," he said, smiling at her.


	26. Secrets and Acquisitions

Maddy checked her watch as she walked down the corridor, with Padfoot at her heels. She still had five minutes before Harry's detention started. They both unconsciously picked up their speed, but the sound of a person rapidly approaching from behind made her come to a halt.

"You!" a woman's voice bellowed.

They both wheeled around. Sybil Trelawney stood in the hallway, pointing a trembly finger at Maddy.

"Yes, you! O'Hannon!"

Trelawney shuffled unsteadily up to Maddy, and Padfoot wrinkled his nose at the overwhelming aroma of cooking sherry. Her clothes were stained and wrinkled, as if they had been slept in for a few days, and her eyes were red. Maddy couldn't tell, though, if it was from the effects of alcohol or crying, or both.

"After my job, aren't you? You've been conspiring with_ her. _Made that ... Umbridge woman your best friend, didn't you? You're both trying to get rid of me! Well, Albus won't let you!"

The divination teacher teetered back and forth on her heels, and tried to regain her balance.

"Listen, Sybil, honestly, I have no desire – " Maddy began desperately.

"Don't bother," the other woman continued drunkenly. "Well, I've got just as much of a gift as you do, and I've _seen _you."

"Have you?" Maddy asked flatly. Damn, the silly woman was going to make her late.

"Yes. The curse that struck you was just the beginning. You deserved it. You're going to die, cold and – _hic_ – alone ... an untimely death. I hear that man of yours has left you for good ... er, I mean, I _saw_ it! And, dear Merlin, here you are, walking with the _grim_! See?? You're going to die!"

She staggered backwards a bit, having only just noticed the presence of the large black dog.

"Right, Sybil. I'm sorry to hear that," Maddy muttered. "Now, I really must be going."

But Trelawney wasn't finished.

"But you're going to attack him first! I've _seen_ you pointing a wand at Black's heart. The killing curse. I heard you saying it."

For once, Maddy was speechless. Then she managed to find her voice, and she was furious.

"That ... is complete bollocks. You are just being cruel, and malicious, and for _Merlin's_ sake, you really need to lay off whatever it is you're drinking. I cannot believe you would say such a thing to me, Sybil. I would _never_ be interested in your job. Ever. So save your breath and knock off the seer bullshit, okay?"

She turned on her heel and stormed away, leaving Trelawney still tottering in the corridor, yelling after her. Padfoot was forced to speed up to keep pace with her.

"God, what a fucking loony," Maddy muttered hatefully, still shaking in anger and disbelief that the divination teacher would make up such a horrible thing out of fear of losing her job.

They continued walking briskly down the hallway, bound for the stairs that led to the Room of Requirement.

"Well. You and your pet _dog_ have made up, I see."

Maddy and Padfoot were drawn up short once more, this time to face Severus Snape, who had appeared out of nowhere and was looking down his hooked nose disdainfully at the black dog. Padfoot remained silent for the moment, but his muscles were tense, as if he would like nothing more than to leap and attack the man.

Maddy sighed loudly in frustration. "And what do _you_ want?" she snapped.

Snape ignored her for the moment and addressed Padfoot.

"What's the matter, Black? Afraid your secret will be revealed? I am quite sure you wouldn't be as welcome here if Umbridge knew who you _really_ were."

"Oh, sod off, Severus," Maddy said wearily. "He's here because I asked him to stay for the moment. Leave it, why don't you?"

"And miss the pleasure of seeing _him_ kicked off the grounds, or perhaps arrested for trespassing?" Snape's mouth twisted with pleasure as this scenario occurred to him.

Padfoot emitted a low growl from deep in his throat, but Maddy wasn't especially worried about Snape's ominous words. She knew that, as much as he hated Sirius, he would never do something so destructive as 'outing' another member of the Order.

"Down, boy," Snape taunted, brandishing his wand threateningly. "Don't you know better, Maddy, than to keep that oaf with you here? And I thought surely you had learned your lesson about trusting him. After what he did to you, and so recently. Yet here you are. Only one _week_ later? Letting him treat you as he used to any female at Hogwarts who was stupid enough to fall for him. Are you really no smarter than that?"

"Thanks for the outrage on my behalf, but I'm getting pretty damn sick of insults at the moment. As it turns out, I do trust him. And he happens to be helping me with something," she retorted in a low voice. "Albus knows he's here, and _he_ would be your superior, not Umbridge. So take it up with him, if it's a problem. Now, we need to be getting somewhere."

"Potter's detention, yes? You're quite the talk around here now with some of the students. Even the other teachers seem to think you are retaliating against Black for ... his little indiscretion. That news slipped out somehow." He looked pointedly at Padfoot.

"Well, those who really need to know about that will find out differently soon enough. And thanks, by the way, for spreading that particular bit of gossip around." Maddy's tone dripped with sarcasm, but secretly she knew he had helped her cause, however slightly, by doing so.

"I really must go, Severus. I'd hate to be late for this and disappoint those who want to witness it."

Padfoot looked back at Snape with a sufficiently hateful glare as he and Maddy continued on their way to the Room of Requirement. A small crowd had gathered outside the plain brick wall, waiting for her. A gang of Slytherins all stood to one side, smirking over at Harry. Draco Malfoy was among them, and as Maddy walked up, his gaze turned lazily over to her. His lip curled in a peculiar little half-smile, which made her feel slightly unnerved. Though Maddy hadn't counted on the presence of that group, she was relieved to note that most kids who had signed up for Defense classes were in attendence, at least. Harry wore an expression as if he was headed to his execution, but then he looked with relief to see his godfather present. Maddy had to stifle the urge to wink at him for reassurance.

"Slight change in plan, everyone," She announced briskly as she walked up and saw who all was present.

Taking her wand, she pointed it at the wall.

"I need a room suitable for a ... long and arduous exercise class."

Everyone, Hermione and Padfoot included, looked at her in alarm. A door slowly appeared, and the Slytherins started snickering, hardly believing their luck.

"Hey, Potter! We get to watch you shake it like a girl!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson from where the Slytherin crowd stood.

Harry turned to Padfoot with a desperate look, as if saying _what have you done to me? _Padfoot appeared puzzled, as well, though, and looked to Maddy for an explanation.

Maddy read his mind, but didn't answer specifically. "You lot will find out soon enough what we're doing, I daresay. Let's go in."

They all walked in to a large room with hardwood flooring. Large speakers hung in mid-air close to the ceiling.

"Potter!" sneered Draco Malfoy. "Going to put on a tutu and dance for us?"

"Actually, Mr. Malfoy, I am _so_ glad you brought that up. No, there will be no ballet. Much as I think Mr. Potter could use some public humiliation and punishment, it has come to my attention that several of you," she looked pointedly at two of Malfoy's larger cohorts, "could use the exercise as well. I regret to inform any misguided souls who ventured up here that we will _all_ be doing a rather strenuous routine. It will only take a few hours of your time, and I believe it will be very beneficial. _Mr. Potter's _punishment is to lead it."

Harry looked sharply over at Hermione and Ron, who looked very anxious to see exactly how _this_ played out.

"Now, I'm sure there are appropriate clothes, uh, maybe in that closet over there," she pointed to a door in the corner, "so everyone go find something to wear, and change into it – "

"Excuse me, Professor O'Hannon," Draco drawled. "But I am _quite_ sure there's no need for _us_ to participate. We'll be happy to watch, though."

Maddy took her wand and pointed it at him, changing his clothing immediately. His expression turned to outrage, and she smiled encouragingly.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, but I've decided that's the rule. Whoever stays must participate. And your friends there, who I believe can _really_ benefit ..." She repeated the motion on Crabbe and Goyle, feeling a certain malicious satisfaction as she did.

The two burly Slytherins in question jumped when they looked down at their change in clothing. Maddy had been sorely tempted to make them wear something outrageous, but had resisted, attiring them only in shorts, t-shirts and trainers.

"Now, everyone else, let's get changed. Potter ..."

Harry looked at her with bewilderment.

"GO! Get ready and stop wasting my time!" she shouted.

Maddy's apparent mood swing jolted him into movement, and he, along with the rest of the students, grumbled as they made their way to the closet. The other Slytherins and a few students from other houses, who had expected a show for their Saturday evening entertainment, were edging their way back to the door, which Maddy suddenly charmed to disappear. They scrambled out quickly before it became too small. One grinned wickedly and waved at the hapless students left behind, just before the wall sealed shut.

"Well, not as courageous as you three, were they?" Maddy said bracingly, grinning at Draco.

"Open the door, Professor! I'm not staying to do two hours of bloody muggle exercise, even if Potter has to lead it!"

"Now, Mr. Malfoy, I believe that's the wrong attitude. Exercise benefits wizards as well. I really do wish you would stay. I think you'll like it. We'll be burning at least two to three thousand calories. And there's yoga at the end."

Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, had already gone over to the wall where the door had disappeared.

"No! Let us out, now!" His voice held a hint of panic.

Maddy feigned disappointment. "Oh, alright. I'm not going to force you to do anything back-breaking, like Mr. Potter here will have to do. But if you really don't want to ..."

She sighed and pointed her wand at the wall, and a door reappeared. The three students pushed each other in an effort to squeeze out of it before it had finished. Maddy watched them go.

The door disappeared as quickly as it had shown itself. She turned toward the others.

"Does everyone belong in here?" Maddy asked Hermione, pointing her wand around at the remaining students, who eyed it warily. The girl nodded.

"A few of the DA students buggered off, but most stayed, like I asked them to. We could tell something else was up," Hermione replied.

"Good! Let's get started then. Harry, get over here."

Harry merely stood rooted to the spot, goggling her and still suspicious.

"Good Lord, do_ I _need to lead it?" she added in exasperation. Meanwhile, Hermione was smiling triumphantly.

He finally collected himself. "Oh ... yeah," he said, still staring at Maddy in surprise. "C'mon guys. Let's get started."

"Just forget I'm here," Maddy said, and grabbed a student's paperback book. She flipped through a few pages, then tossed it down to watch them instead.

At first they seemed rather self-conscious and glanced frequently in Maddy's direction, but she didn't seem to be paying much attention to their activities. Instead, she plopped herself down on the floor next to Padfoot, who licked her face once affectionately, and she spoke quietly to him.

Defense practice continued for the next few hours as they experimented with patronuses and stunning spells, only interrupted sporadically by pointers from Maddy. Finally she joined in herself, brushing up on spells she hadn't used much since her own days at school.

Finally, it appeared that everyone was wearing down a bit, and Harry called an end to class, looking at Maddy and Padfoot rather tentatively as he did.

"Good job, guys," she called out, standing up and groaning as her stiff joints protested. "One more time, next Saturday since Umbridge will be out of town again ... same exercise class story ... and then I believe we'll have to come up with something else. I have a friend who is, er, getting back to me on an alternate site, so I'll let you know. Something to do with your next Hogsmeade weekend, but I don't know the details as of yet. Hermione can pass it along to you when I figure it out. And keep quiet, obviously! Don't blow things for us all."

The students milled around, chatting for a few minutes. Maddy suddenly thought of something else.

"Oi! Everyone come a bit closer."

The kids gathered around her, and she pointed her wand using an _aguamenti_ charm. They cringed, and shrieked in surprise when a fine mist of water sprayed over them. A few girls sputtered indignantly.

"Sorry! But you need to look, y'know, sweaty," she said, shrugging.

"Professor?" Hermione asked quietly, walking up to her after most of the others had gone. "I think I've got the code figured out. Well, almost."

Maddy smiled. "Good! I knew you would. And I meant to tell you, thank you for cleaning up the mess in my room. That must have been horrible." She rolled her eyes.

"No problem. Are you feeling better now?" the girl asked.

"Oh yes, much. Do you want me to go over that stuff with you?"

"Yeah. Perhaps one day after class, just to make sure I've got it right."

Padfoot loped up to Harry and held out his paw, brushing his godson's hand with it. Harry patted him but said nothing, as a few of the students still in the room didn't know Padfoot's identity.

"Harry, next Saturday night, same time. Okay? You're doing very well."

Harry grinned and nodded. "Thanks, Maddy, er, Professor. You threw me off with the whole exercise thing. I was a bit scared, to tell you the truth. Are you feeling better?"

"Oh yeah," she said dismissively. "Well, I should've anticipated some of those other kids showing up. Had to improvise at the last second. I figured the thought of physical exertion would drive 'em off more easily." She smiled back at him.

After most of the students had gone, Fred, George, Ginny and Ron were still standing around in the room, talking. Maddy saw Fred looking over admiringly in her direction a few times, and she snorted wryly to herself. _Back in his good graces, apparently_, she thought. A moment later, she felt an arm snake around her waist. Sirius leaned in closer and kissed her.

"Dear Merlin, sometimes I wish I could at least carry on a conversation as a dog!" he exclaimed. "All that growling and barking gets a bit old. I'd have bitten Snape, the arsewipe, if I wasn't sure he would taste so bad."

"Want to go to bed?" Maddy asked him softly. "I'm done in, and I'm ready to call it a night." She yawned.

"Absolutely. Let me speak to Harry first, and we'll go."

Once everyone was ready to leave, Sirius said goodbye to Harry and his friends, and changed back to Padfoot. He accompanied Maddy to her chambers, peeling off his clothing immediately once he had transformed again. She followed him to the bed, but after lying down, she seemed deep in thought.

"I'm sorry Trelawney upset you earlier. Don't let her get to you, okay?" Sirius said, taking her hand and kissing it. "She's just a pathetic old woman, and desperate to keep her job. And don't listen to Snivellus, either. Stupid git's never even _had_ a girlfriend. What does he know about anything?"

Maddy shrugged. "I'm just wishing I had never come back here. Too late for that now, though."

"Well," he said, "you can always leave, you know."

"I can't do that, Sirius. And I really hate to say this now, but you'll have to go after tonight. We should go back to meeting somewhere else."

To her surprise, he grinned. "I was planning on leaving tomorrow, as a matter of fact. I have a few important things to do."

"Well, don't seem so happy about it," Maddy answered sardonically, though she smiled. "What do you have to do?"

"A few things that I think you will like. Seeing Albus last night sealed the deal. And then I have to go to Grimmauld Place, to search for something I haven't seen in years."

"What on earth are you talking about? What's at Grimmauld Place?"

Sirius inched closer to Maddy, enjoying her warmth. "My father's old grimmoire. I regret that I can say no more, however, much as I'd like to."

"I dunno. I think you're really into the cloak and dagger, actually."

"Only for a few days. When will you be free again? During the day, I mean."

She thought for a minute. "Not until Friday, unfortunately. Why?"

"Something I want to show you." Sirius kissed her neck softly. "You, my dear, should be the first to see it. Try not to fall subject to another ancient Egyptian wand curse in the meantime, eh? We'll plan on meeting in the Shrieking Shack, maybe ten in the morning, then go from there."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

In contrast to the pandemonium of Maddy's first week back at Hogwarts, the first week of February signaled a much calmer time. Pleased that Umbridge seemed to be deceived so completely, Maddy took advantage of her outsider status at school to cultivate things on that front. Professor McGonagall found out, via Dumbledore, Maddy's true intentions where Harry and his friends were concerned. Subsequently, she felt sorry about her hateful attitude toward the younger witch, and made sure to pass the headmaster's information along quietly to a few trusted members of the staff. The others, who were united in their loathing of Umbridge, made a good show of snubbing Maddy publicly, which made the high inquisitor think that much more of her. But in contrast, they were much nicer to her in private, and told her how much they had missed her since she had been gone. Most students, however, weren't privy to this information, unless they happened to be in Dumbledore's Army. The exercise class falsehood had been duly embellished by DA members, and by Monday, students went out of their way to avoid provoking her, just in case she happened to go crazy and issue a detention to them along the same lines.

Umbridge had heard, on her return from London, about the unorthodox punishment that Maddy had settled upon for Harry's detention. Surprisingly, she thought it hilarious to imagine Harry being forced to lead a group of students in something so, well, _muggle-ish_. She encouraged Maddy to continue cracking down on him, and wished heartily that she could be at school for his next punishment. Unfortunately, she sighed, Cornelius required her in London yet again, so it would have to be some other time.

Maddy had the thought of a nice evening with Sirius to keep her occupied for the week, and she was curious to hear what he had been doing in the meantime. Classes were uneventful, but now her mind wouldn't stay focused on them. Most students appreciated the change, as Vector had always been seen as a fierce taskmaster. But they remained wary of her at the same time, and talked amongst themselves about the changes in her since the presumed break-up with Sirius, which they agreed must be the reason. Hermione, who was the only one disappointed at the lack of challenge in her favorite subject, stayed after classes most of the week to quietly go over the Gringotts code with Maddy. She was confident by the end of the week that she had managed to memorize it, and Maddy, who was pleased with her progress, promised to begin using it to sort out future DA practices.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Once Friday arrived, Maddy couldn't leave the castle fast enough. She missed Sirius now more than anything, but particularly when she was forced to spend the night alone in her bed. She found that, aside from physical intimacy, she also yearned for the times when they lay facing each other, close to sleep and talking about any subject that they found interesting. More than once, she cursed the hasty decision to return to this place, though a small irritating voice in the back of her mind continually reminded her that this was the smart thing to do.

At 9:30 on Friday morning, she walked out one of the side doors closest to the Whomping Willow, and made a pretense of strolling around the snowy grounds for a bit. As 10:00 drew closer, she wandered over to the tree and cast a quick spell to halt any movement. She slipped inside the passageway, and, looking back out, removed the curse on it, in case anyone may have seen her and decided to follow while it was immobile. She lit her wand and walked quickly through the dark passageway until, after walking what seemed like forever, it began to rise. The rotting wooden boards above her head signaled the entrance to the Shrieking Shack, and Maddy raised them, peeking out.

"Are you here?" Maddy asked to the dark space.

Hearing no answer, she closed the trapdoor back and began to walk around the ground floor, trying to skip over the rotten boards as she did. Sirius must be running late, she decided, though she was a bit concerned. He was always very punctual, and this was unusual for him. She peered into a room she hadn't seen before, and deciding that it wasn't _too_ dilapidated, stepped into it. Strangely, there were quite a bit of wooden artifacts in the room, and, as she looked more closely, she was startled to note that much of the furniture and miscellaneous pieces appeared to be gnawed on, as if sharp teeth had desperately needed something to bite. So intent was she on studying this phenomenon on a bedpost, she paid no attention to the person who appeared in the doorway, watching her.

"This was Remus's room," he commented, leaning against the doorframe with hands in his pockets.

She jumped, and immediately felt foolish. She'd been expecting Sirius, after all. His gaze swept over her, as she stood covered in a blue velvet cloak.

"I think all the biting and gnawing helped him to pass the time, years ago. Not too many other ways to occupy oneself as a werewolf. Until the rest of us figured out the animagus thing." Sirius spoke modestly, but Maddy was still impressed at the ability of a few teenagers to learn such a complicated piece of magic.

"You're beautiful," Sirius said. "And I've missed you."

Maddy smiled at him, and walked over to the doorway. "Ditto, and ditto. You look amazing, and -" she stopped and leaned her nose into his neck while breathing euphorically, "the scent is lovely. What is it?"

Sirius took her face in his hands. "Mmm, don't remember the name. Thought you'd like it, though."

He kissed her slowly, looking at her as he did. Then he drew way.

"Well, I've said before, this is a perfectly shitty place to be intimate, much as I'd like to right this minute. And in any case, I want to show you something. Let's get out of here."

Sirius gathered her in his arms once more and held her very close.

"Ready?" he asked. "Seems like forever since we've done this. We'll have to take a little trip somewhere very soon."

"Mmmmm..." Maddy answered with her face pressed into the warmth of his chest.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

They were off, though it was such a short amount of time, it didn't feel as though they had even apparated. Maddy stepped away from Sirius, looking around at an unfamiliar room. It was intimate; cozy, actually, with a fire blazing in the fireplace.

"Still Mr. Cloak and Dagger? Aren't you going to tell me where we are?" Maddy asked when Sirius was silent at first.

"I thought I'd _show_ you first. But we'll need to go outside for that. Let's look around in here before we do."

He took her hand and grasped it tightly.

"This is a parlor, I guess you'd say. I like it. But here," Sirius said, leading her out into the hallway, "is one of my favorite places. Master bedroom," he whispered for theatrical effect.

"Oh, really? Am I to take it you have rented a house, then?"

"No," Sirius replied, taking her in his arms once more. "I have bought a house. Just outside Hogsmeade, in the countryside."

Maddy was speechless. Surely he would have asked her opinion first before making such a purchase. She had to admit, though, this place was fairly grand. They walked into the huge bedroom, and she gasped.

"Well, it _is_ beautiful," she confessed, albeit grudgingly.

"Yes," he agreed, and grinned smugly at her hesitation. "Lots of room for a huge bed, in which to sleep. And do _other _things."

He stood behind Maddy, putting an arm around her. She stood still, looking around at the room and trying to picture what it would look like with furniture. The enormous mahogany bed which sat in Grimmauld Place would fit in very nicely here, she thought. If some curse hadn't already been put on it to keep anyone from taking it elsewhere, at least.

"May I ask you something?" Maddy said, turning her head slightly.

"What?"

"Well, what are your plans for this house?"

"My plans? Oh. Well, I thought once you got this dreadful school year behind you, you might consent to live with me here. I certainly have no interest in London, and particularly Grimmauld Place. I'm assuming you don't, either, though you should probably let me know if I'm wrong. And I am hoping you will trust that I've picked the perfect place."

Maddy shrugged and nodded. She still harbored a niggling feeling of annoyance. It would have been nice to be consulted about this, after all, if she was expected to live here.

"But I haven't shown you the rest of it. Kindly hold your tongue until then, eh?" Sirius said cheekily, kissing her softly.

He let go, though he took her hand, leading her through the rest of the expansive house.

"What I really want you to see is the _outside._"

They came to a large front door, a thick oaken slab with inlaid carvings decorating it. He grasped the handle and opened it, gesturing for Maddy to walk through. She gathered her cloak tightly around her; the February weather was threatening snow, after all, despite the pale sunlight.

"The house is beautiful, but the grounds are absolutely lovely," Sirius commented, taking her hand once more.

She stopped, once a small distance away, and looked at the front of the stone house. It was stately, without being too imposing. Something about it seemed very familiar, as well, though Maddy couldn't say what. Perhaps she had seen it before, with its close proximity to Hogsmeade. But it was beautiful, and it seemed _right._

They walked through the snow, still left over from the last storm, until they were almost under an enormous tree.

"Sit down," he said.

"In the snow?" Maddy asked.

"Yes. You can dry off soon enough." He didn't provide further explanation.

Maddy shrugged and promptly plopped herself down in the middle of a large snowdrift. She groaned.

"Does it look familiar? I recognized it straight away," Sirius said proudly. He eased himself down next to her, ignoring the chill.

Maddy looked questioningly at him. Sirius laughed and took one of his cold hands, gently moving her face in a different direction. She looked down the hill, and suddenly realized where she was.

"Dear God. You found it."

She looked sideways at him, smiling now.

"Yes, I did. It had just gone on the market. I made sure to snag it immediately, and closed this week. Perfect place, don't you think?" He leaned closer to her. "I know I should have asked you first. But this is it, isn't it? I knew you'd love it as soon as I walked out here with the estate agent."

Maddy took her own hand and touched Sirius's face tenderly.

"Yeah. I will. I love _you_."

"It's called Rotherwood. Named for somebody in _Ivanhoe_, the agent said. I'd never heard of it. I think it fits. But maybe we could call it something different, if you'd rather."

They sat for a few minutes, looking out over the field where Reg had been seen playing with a small dog. Maddy had watched him from this very spot, enormously pregnant, as her husband spoke softly to her belly. She smiled at the memory, so recently seen again.

"When do you think it will happen? What's going to happen in between?" she asked, though she knew Sirius had no answer for her.

"I don't know. Bit scary, isn't it?" he answered with a small laugh. "Well, I mean the whole knowing ahead of time. I've never actually pictured myself as a father. I told Dumbledore I was worried I'd turn out just like my dad, who was ... well, I'm sure you can guess."

"Oh, well, I don't believe that for a moment. If we ever have children, you will be a wonderful daddy."

"Yeah, that's what he said. I certainly hope so, at least. I don't believe for a minute that I'll ever name a child after my brother, though," he said definitively. "So if he's really a Reg, it's not short for Regulus, at least."

She shrugged and took his hand. "Fine with me."

"So, do you approve, then?" Sirius pointed in front of them and over to the house.

Maddy looked over the vista once more. "Yeah, I do. You did a wonderful job, Mr. Black."

"That's not all. There's something else I'd like for you to see."

They stood and dusted the snow off. Then Sirius led her around the house to a motor court of cobblestones that circled around in the front.

"Another surprise? You've been busy!"

"Well, yes, but this one is more for me." He grinned devilishly. "Come and look."

A set of garages sat beside the house, attached by a breezeway. Sirius took his wand and flicked it, making a door slowly open.

"You bought a muggle sports car," Maddy guessed, laughing.

"No, you'll see."

The door continued to open, and Maddy noticed a single tail light, reflected off the morning sunlight. When the door had opened completely, a gleaming silver Triumph 500 was visible.

"It's a motorcycle!" she announced. "You just got it?"

"No, I just got it _back_. Someone has kindly been holding on to it for me these many years."

"Someone? Who?" Maddy had a sudden uncomfortable memory of Sirius's ex-girlfriend from before Azkaban. Surely _she_ hadn't kept it all this time.

"Rubeus Hagrid."

"Hagrid?! He's never said a word about it!"

Though in truth, Maddy had only seen Hagrid once since her previous employment at Hogwarts. He wasn't around much these days, though Dolores Umbridge had mentioned him a few times with no shortage of distaste. And the time Maddy had seen him, he appeared extremely preoccupied and didn't say much to her.

"I got it back after leaving Sunday morning. That hag Umbridge was still away, and I saw Hagrid as I was leaving. He's taken good care of it, hasn't he?" Sirius beamed with pride at his recent re-aquisition.

"It's very nice." Maddy was rather ambivalent about muggle motorcycles, but she smiled at his enthusiasm.

"I'll take you for a ride on it very soon. I made a few upgrades years ago and I had the opportunity to try them out when I brought it here. I'll show you soon, though. Let's go back inside."

He flicked the wand once more and the garage door shut.

"I must say, I love this place! After that disgusting Grimmauld Place and the house I leased before that, this is like heaven."

Maddy suddenly thought of something he had mentioned when she last saw him.

"Oh yeah, what was all that about getting your father's grimmoire?"

"Oh. Well, even though I'm confident your brother will be flushed out sooner or later, I don't want you to be unprotected here. The grimmoire has the spells my father used to protect our house in London. Took me forever to locate the damned thing, though. I practically had to throttle Kreacher to tell me where it was, the little toe-rag. He must've been sleeping with it or something; it wasn't in its usual place. I had to, er, _persuade_ him to part with it, once he actually produced it." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"But anyway, I've begun working on the protection here. Quite complicated, actually, but no problem. And, speaking of your dreaded brother, we – Remus and I – are fairly confident that he's using your family's home for his activities. We've been there before, but had no luck thus far. Remus got a little tip about it through Tonks, though he never said who told her. I'm wondering if Victoria might defect from that bunch, actually."

He shrugged and continued. "So we're going to check it out again once the full moon time is over and he's better. I'm hungry. Ready for some brunch or something? It's early, yet, but I could eat a horse."

Maddy nodded. "Sounds good. But I want to be with you when you do go. I know the place backwards and -"

"No, Madeleine. I don't think so. You've never had to fight before. If something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself."

"If something happened to me? I do know lots of spells, after all!" Maddy was indignant.

"Well, I know, love, but you've never been in any type of combat. And we're talking about people who would love to capture and save you for the bleedin' Dark Lord. Remus, Tonks and I have much more experience."

"Tonks, too? I told you, I want to get this over with. Let me go with you."

"Listen, Mad, we'll talk about it later, alright? I want to show you the rest of the house, and then we'll eat. And _then_ ..."

He leaned in closely so that his lips almost touched hers. "I plan on shagging you. A lot."

"In the floor?" Maddy whispered with a little smile.

She wasn't really angry with him anyway, but she had every intention of revisiting the previous topic again soon. For now, though, she was enjoying the pleasurable feeling of Sirius's mustache and beard next to her skin.

"In the floor, on a bed – I do have one of those here, just not the one I really want – anyway, in the bathtub, on the kitchen table once we get one of those ..."

"Is there ever a time or place when you _don't _want to be doing that?" she teased him.

He kissed her. "Oh, no. And that desire has only increased since you've been away from me. We'll have William taken care of soon, the school year will be over, and you and I can be together again. For always."


	27. Cruciamo

**Rated 'M'**

Sirius stood in the doorway, peering into one of the bedrooms in his new home. He tried to picture it decorated as a nursery. A flying broomstick theme was always popular with boys, someone had told him in a Hogsmeade shop that specialized in such things. Sirius smiled, thinking about a room decorated in Firebolts like the one he had given Harry a few years back. That was his own preference, anyway, over the Nimbus brand. He imagined Madeleine, heavily pregnant, using her wand to decide what went where. Or would she prefer a crib in their own bedroom until the baby was older?_ Crikey, I'm getting way ahead of myself, _he decided.

He shook the thoughts away for the time being and concentrated on how he felt about things now. Well, he wasn't really _afraid_ anymore, he didn't think. He had noticed that as events steadily came to fruition in their relationship, the things that had seemed initially scary and overwhelming weren't so much anymore. It wasn't as if they were going to be married, have a baby and send it off to Hogwarts all in one day, after all. He thought of Maddy, and immediately pictured himself placing her firmly against a wall, intent on devouring her entire body with eager kisses. Being apart from her was getting to be very _hard_, he thought, snickering at his own pun, and tried not to concentrate on the tightening in his groin.

He moved on to the next bedroom and thought of Madeleine's second forecasted pregnancy. Would baby number two be a girl or boy? What would its name be? He finally shook his head in an attempt to rid his mind of questions that had no answers, and kept going.

Another large bedroom sat in one corner of the house. _Harry's room_, Sirius thought with satisfaction. He was feeling guilty at his lack of participation in his godson's life these days, and was looking forward to helping the students with their defense training. Hopefully that would happen with the next Hogsmeade weekend. He hadn't really talked to Madeleine just yet about asking Harry to live with them, but he knew she would understand. The boy needed a safe refuge, after all, and his godfather was the right person to provide it.

Next was the master bedroom, where a large mahogany bed and matching accoutrements had been installed very recently. Maddy had been very fond of the ornate furniture in his parents' house, but Sirius was too worried about the possibility of some latent curse on it to bother with moving it. He had decided to have another set made just like them, as a gift for her. The sound of his even footsteps echoed off the ceiling and bare walls as he passed through another doorway in the bedroom. Even the accompanying bathroom was large. The previous owner, an affluent elderly witch, who had apparently enjoyed the finer things, had put in an elaborate tub which was more than big enough for two people. Erotic thoughts began to sneak into his mind once more, and he reluctantly pushed them away. He was expecting company any minute, after all.

A huge walk in closet completed the master suite. It was unusual to have such a thing, especially if one was a wizard, and therefore capable of expanding any space. But he liked its, well, _muggle-ishness_, if that was a word, and knew that, judging by the gleam in Madeleine's eye when she had initially seen it, she probably had plans for the room.

Sirius smiled at the thought of using his family's money to purchase and decorate this house. For the first time since he had bought Harry's Firebolt, the considerable amount of gold he kept in Gringotts bank brought him pleasure. In fact, he thought with satisfaction, his old crone of a mother must be turning over in her grave at what Sirius and Maddy, the one pureblood she would have selected for him, were doing these days. He wondered idly why she had never revisited the topic of Madeleine O'Hannon after that initial meeting when they were children. Perhaps she would have eventually, but after he fled the Black home and away from her control, any plans of an arranged union would obviously have fizzled out abruptly with his new state of disgrace.

And then, Azkaban. Lately, while Maddy stayed most nights at Hogwarts, Sirius spent a lot of time lying alone in the dark, thinking about the endless nightmare he had endured in prison. Sometimes he wondered what would have happened to him, had things turned out differently. Surely he would have ended up dead, or more likely just a soulless shell of a man, thrown back into prison to merely _exist_. He probably wouldn't have survived long ... no one ever did, once they got the dementors' kiss. He used to wonder why the ministry didn't just administer the killing curse instead and be done with it. To this day, he was sobered when he recalled the horrible events he could never have foreseen all those years before. But at least he had Harry and Madeleine, the two people most dear to him, to thank for helping him win his freedom. An image of Snape, sneering, rose before him, and he pushed it away with irritation.

The thudding echo of a doorknocker interrupted Sirius's thoughts. He raced down the front staircase, with his hand brushing the rail for balance, and opened the heavy wooden door. Remus stood there, looking rather small in the doorway, in spite of his height. He smiled at his friend.

"Well, hello there, stranger," Remus said with a raised eyebrow.

"Moony," Sirius answered with a grin. "Come in."

"Well, check out the lord of the manor," Remus said, looking around. "You've done very well."

"Thank you. I'd have had the butler answer, but I think he's out back smoking a cigarette, just now. Hard to find good help, isn't it? So where's Tonks?"

"Ah, she couldn't be here after all."

The hesitation in his tone made Sirius glance sharply at him.

"Something happen?" he asked, knowing fully well that something had.

Remus shrugged. "Not really. I just felt it best to lay off things with her. The wolfsbane was particularly nasty this time 'round, and ..."

"Broke her heart, did you?"

Sirius knew this pattern very well, and was unsuccessful in keeping his tone neutral. He knew how much Tonks cared for his friend. Same as other girls had, both at Hogwarts, and after. None of those relationships had lasted through Remus' insecurities, either.

"I'm sure her heart is perfectly intact. So don't even bother preaching, Padfoot. Particularly with your own track record."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Sirius answered sardonically. "So, care for some tea?"

"That would be lovely," Remus answered, thankful to abandon the previous topic.

They walked, with Sirius leading the way, into a large kitchen, where tea had recently been prepared in anticipation of his arrival.

"Here you go, love," Sirius said, affecting the tone of an elderly woman as he poured some for the other man.

Remus rolled his eyes humorously and took the cup. He walked around the room, peering into a large adjoining dining room with a chandelier. Sirius grabbed his wand off the counter and pointed it in that direction. The room was bathed in light, while shadows danced on the walls from the flickering candles.

"What d'you think?" Sirius finally asked after he had drained his cup. He set it down gently on a butcher block, after a glance at the clump of wet leaves in the bottom. Even as students, it had always been a habit to examine them for shapes and make jokes about what was predicted inside. This particular cup wasn't giving anything interesting away, however.

"Well ... let's back up a bit since I'm not up to speed on all the details. What happened on your date with that, er, _delightful_ young witch you managed to saddle yourself with?"

"Oh, that. Well, I got out alive, at least, with my virginity intact."

Remus snorted loudly. "Pure as the driven snow, you are. But she seemed very ... _into_ you. Was it difficult to resist? I mean, I'm sorry to make light of your situation – " The laughter in his voice made it clear he wasn't sorry at all. "But you seemed to be having a bit of trouble with the bird."

"Alright, that's enough," Sirius retorted good-naturedly. "Nothing happened, other than one kiss, and Madeleine forgave me. We are fine now. Better than fine, actually."

"So why's she still at Hogwarts?" asked Remus, who still appeared dubious.

"She told Dumbledore she would stay until the end of the school year. Then we'll be together. We see each other, still."

His friend nodded, reading between the lines.

"Probably sensible on her part. Glad you got that sorted out. So, going to show me the rest of your little country cottage?"

"Certainly. Follow me, and do try not to get lost."

Sirius walked around the main floor with Remus, pointing out various rooms. They made their way back to the entrance hall.

"By the time I'm done with it, it'll be as secure as headquarters," Sirius said confidently. "Finally got hold of my father's grimmoire, and I've been reading through it. The old codger had some pretty useful ideas, turns out."

He directed Remus to start up an elaborate winding staircase with delicately scrolled wrought-iron railing. Another large chandelier hung here, and Sirius pointed his wand to light it. Flickers of light popped up from each candle in quick succession.

"So has Maddy seen it yet?"

"Yeah," Sirius replied. "I gave her the tour, as well. She liked it." They reached the top and strolled down the hallway, looking into each room.

"Wow," Remus said, after peering into the immense master bedroom. "Well, it's officially huge. So you bought it before telling her?"

"Yes. I found out that she'd _seen_ it once. Us living there, I mean. I had to buy it."

Remus smiled at his friend. "Had to, eh? So I presume you're over any, er, commitment jitters? You seem okay with the idea of being with her for the long haul, at least. And I wondered why on earth you bought something in Scotland. Though," he added, more to himself as he wandered, "I suppose something in this area would mean more to you than a house in London or elsewhere. But how did you know this was what she _saw_?"

"Dumbledore let me see it for myself. She had put the memory in his pensieve. But yeah. I guess I always had this notion of visions being rather scary things. It wasn't, though. I found it very interesting. And I saw myself, older."

"What was it like, then?" Remus asked, his interest piqued.

"Well, obviously, Mad and I knew in this vision that we would see it eventually. So she said a few things in the way of instructions, though she purposefully kept it somewhat vague. And I spoke to our unborn child, sort of."

"Unborn _child_?"

"Oh, yeah, she was pregnant in it. We had a son, also."

Remus looked impressed, but slightly unsettled at the same time.

"What did you do in this vision?"

Sirius stopped in the room he had considered for a nursery. "Hmmm. Well, we were lounging around outside. I knew that I, the one watching, would be apprehensive about being married, and a father, or whatever. And it was undeniably _me_ there. Looking older than I do now, with a tiny bit more grey hair, anyway. I just told myself to stop worrying. That things would happen when they were meant to. We would be married someday, but I would know when to do it ... it would just feel right. Guess that eased my mind a bit." He shrugged.

Remus blinked. "Blimey. Y'know, though, she told me about that vision once, now I think about it ... I'd forgotten. Back during the year you'd escaped from Azkaban. I didn't remember the details, though. It was the first time she'd ever mentioned having that ability. I'd just told her you and I were friends whilst at school. Honestly, I wondered at the time if she might have a few screws loose. After all, you were a convicted murderer and there seemed no hope of things turning out any other way."

"Yes, I seem to remember that," Sirius commented drily. "Turned out I wasn't, though."

"Obviously," Remus replied, smiling. "Funny how all _that_ came to pass. Maddy meeting you after all, I mean. She told me in the same conversation she'd seen me as a werewolf. It scared me. I wouldn't speak to her after that for the longest time. I was so terrified that it meant I might transform and hurt someone. The old fear resurfaced. And then, of course, she _saw_ Peter turning into a rat at the same time. I couldn't fathom what the hell she was on about. But I guess that's the curse of being a seer. I'm sure you'd want to tell people things, but you never know how they'll take it."

Sirius grimaced, remembering his own response to a few of her revelations. "I've been the same way."

"So," Remus said, changing the subject. "what's this room going to be?"

Sirius shrugged. "Child's room, maybe. We haven't gotten round to talking about it."

"Sirius, the father," his friend teased. "You'll make a good one someday."

Sirius snorted. "That's what everyone seems to think. I hope so, anyway. Assuming it really happens."

"Well, I'd say if you want it to, it will."

They continued ambling through the expansive house until Sirius had shown Remus every room. Then they returned downstairs, heading back to the kitchen.

"Has anyone decided on the next Order meeting? We need to be stepping up protection on the prophecy, since Voldemort seems to be increasingly anxious about it. And I want to enlist some more support with taking care of Madeleine's brother. I'm sick to death of that bastard, and I've never even met him."

"You still think he's at the family home? It's just ruins, Sirius. And always deserted whenever we've been there. I wish we had the manpower to keep someone posted all the time, though. Maybe we'd have better luck that way."

A wild idea struck Sirius, and he furled his brow, thinking.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

"Just ... well, probably nothing. But I remember Mad and Tonks thinking Kreacher was up to something, just before Christmas. They wondered if he was relaying things to the other side."

"And you think that's true?"

"Well, I had a lot of trouble locating the grimmoire. Turned out _he_ had it, and he didn't want to give it up. But surely he couldn't do _that_ ... I mean, I am his master, distasteful as that is to me."

He fell silent for a few moments.

"Moony, you trust Tonks, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Remus asked uneasily, bracing himself to ward off any more talk of her.

"I mean, I told you about that letter a while back from Mad's mother. Saying some woman with pink hair would be helping her brother. What d'you think that meant?"

"Oh, c'mon. Dora's not going to switch sides. Not in a million years ... you know that. She doesn't even have pink hair now. It's been blonde since last month."

Sirius shrugged. "I'm only trying to suss out some answers. Her mother couldn't make a statement like that for no reason. Maybe it's Victoria, using polyjuice potion?"

"Sirius, do you _really_ believe all that? You don't think she might have come up with a pink-haired person by accident?"

Sirius stared at Remus. "Do _you_ believe that, considering everything so far? The woman was good at it. Look at what Mad's _seen_, and her not even trained properly! I certainly think we should take all this seriously."

"Okay, okay. As far as polyjuice potion, I wouldn't know. Dora never mentioned anyone trying to sneak a lock of her hair. And I assume taking a sample of blonde hair for polyjuice potion would produce a Tonks with blonde hair, wouldn't it?"

"Well, ask her anyway. And make sure she's careful about it from now on."

"Why don't you just ask her yourself? I don't think she'll speak to me," Remus muttered.

"Jesus, Moony, if you keep pushing her away like that, it's no wonder!"

"I will remind you once more, Padfoot. You are not an expert on relationships! Now knock it off."

Remus glared belligerently at Sirius. The other man stared back, then finally shrugged.

"Alright."

Sirius was quiet for a few minutes, staring at the flames dancing on the chandelier until he seemed mesmerized by them.

"Do you think some things are meant to be?" he asked.

"I ... don't know how to answer that, Padfoot," Remus said warily. "You're certainly full of deep thoughts today, aren't you?"

"Every now and again I think about that thing that happened at my parents', when we were kids ... the handfasting thing. I think I saw her once at Hogwarts."

"What ... Maddy? I guess that makes sense. We were all there for a year or two together."

"One year. It surprises me that we would've met, actually, with her being in Hufflepuff and us in Gryffindor. But something occurred to me the other night. First time I've even thought of it since I was seventeen. One morning James and I were walking down the corridor, on our way to Transfiguration exams. We were seventh years and almost done there .... y'know, thought we owned the place. There was this girl. She had bright red hair – "

"That doesn't sound like Maddy."

"Because it wasn't. May I continue?" Sirius asked drolly.

"Sorry."

"So this ginger-haired kid was a little brute. She was using her wand to keep this other little girl's papers flying around. The other girl had dark hair. She was just a little thing. You know how tiny all the first years looked as we got older. So I walked up to the ginger haired girl and told her nicely to stop. She did. Seemed to be rather in awe of me. I said something like 'You'll just leave my future wife alone,' or something silly along those lines. I winked at the little brunette, who just looked back at me with this odd expression. I guess girls looked at me quite a bit back in those days –"

"Yes, I remember," Remus said drily, but he smiled.

"– and I decided if I made ginger think I was watching out for the other one, she'd leave her alone."

"And the brunette was Maddy?"

Sirius shrugged. "I've no idea." He laughed. "It had been seven years since that awful thing at our house, and I had completely forgotten Madeleine, so I didn't know who the girl was."

He rubbed the tiny scar on his wrist unconsciously.

"Then, when ginger-hair left, I touched her shoulder and asked if she was okay. She seemed a bit frail, but maybe she was just timid. Wide eyed as she looked at me. She nodded. Then I said, 'You will marry me someday, won't you?' Meanwhile, Prongs is groaning, telling me we need to get to class. We had a NEWT that day or something ... it was close to the end of the year, like I said.

"But then the girl looked right at me, and without a trace of humor, said 'Well, you _do_ look a bit like the man I'm going to marry.' Ol' James snorted with laughter. So I said, 'Well, of course. Whenever you decide the particulars, let me know, alright?' We walked away and James laughed the rest of the day about my wife. But then he told me I'd never get married."

"Why did he say that, I wonder?"

"Aw, back then, I was much more interested in hanging out with the likes of you with all our adventures than any of the giggly girls at Hogwarts. Not that I never kissed any, of course. James' characterization stung me, though, and I've often thought about him saying _that_."

Remus laughed now. "Well, what does a seventeen-year-old boy know, anyway? But is that what you want?"

Sirius stared up at the flickering flames of the dining room chandelier, considering his friend's words.

"I told her after we had that blow-up that I wouldn't marry her in a million years," he said quietly. "I was just being a prick, though. She's who I want to be with. I'd be a fool not to."

Remus regarded Sirius thoughtfully for a moment.

"Is that good enough? I mean, you can't go just by what was ordained in some vision, you know."

"I'm not. Isn't it obvious I love her and want this for myself? Maybe it's a source of comfort to me that _I_ can decide when we do this ... that it's clearly _not _just something pre-ordained. I think she's perfectly happy letting me take my time."

"Okay, then. I hope you cleared that up with Maddy," Remus finally reminded him.

"Yeah, I've made it up to her. Much as I can, at least."

"Have you bought a ring?"

"Oh no, not yet. But Moony, what about Tonks? I'm not judging," he hastened to add. "Don't you think it's past time, though, that you got past the 'furry little problem'? I can't imagine that it really matters to her."

Remus sighed in exasperation. "Sirius, you know better than anyone what my life has always been like. Damn, even the wolfsbane is extremely unpleasant. And that's an understatement! And for Dora to have to deal with that every moon cycle. She has no idea, no matter how much she's around me now. I can't risk ever putting her in that much danger."

"Moony, the woman loves you. Why not give her a chance to make that decision? But," he shrugged at Remus' dark look, "I'll stop talking about it. Ready to go?"

His friend was all too happy to change the subject. "Yeah."

They picked their wands up from the kitchen counter and made preparations to explore the O'Hannon ruins once more.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy sat up in bed that night, propped against several pillows. A thick stack of parchment essays sat in front of her, each one with several lines addressing the nuances of another student's social number, and with a wide variety of results. Some essays, like Hermione's, were typically well thought out and interesting. Some other students, however, only scraped by with a passing grade. Having to read that nonsense, Maddy regretted, not for the first time, her decision to leave Sirius to spend an entire term here at Hogwarts. She hadn't missed teaching whatsoever since Sirius was freed, and was still inclined, at times, to wonder what the hell to do with her life once summer came. Besides being with him, anyway. A warm feeling consumed her when she thought about _that_. She pondered if and when a marriage would occur, and wished _that_ was something she might have foreseen. Despite Maddy's huge argument with Sirius some weeks back, and her subsequent exit from Grimmauld Place, she still felt that they were in a very good place now, and stronger than before.

She tried to picture doing something as mundane as marking papers, with him lying in the bed next to her every night. Hogwarts wasn't exactly an environment conducive to having a fulfilling relationship, though. Maddy couldn't think of many teachers that had ever been married whilst she was a student there, nor a teacher herself. In fact, her last relationship had been somewhat unusual for a faculty member, having occurred when she was a teacher in the year before Sirius escaped from prison. And it didn't last very long, either, though Hogwarts really wasn't to blame for its demise.

She tried to concentrate once more on her work, but her eyelids kept drooping. Finally, the quill she was using dropped on the mattress and she drifted off to sleep with the lamp still on.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius was dreaming. It was one he'd had before; not necessarily a bad dream, but the one that always left him feeling uneasy. He was completely naked in the middle of a crowd, making his way around Diagon Alley. People stopped what they were doing to stare at him, though he tried to ignore them. A few pointed and whispered his name.

"Look, Sirius Black," a voice hissed, and he turned, wondering who had called him.

The person in question wasn't speaking to him, however, but remarked quietly to someone else. "I've always wondered if he was really innocent. That whole story seemed a bit too suspicious, don't you think?"

The other person nodded and looked shrewdly at him. Other passersby noticed the pair, and slowed down to see who they were looking at. Soon a small crowd had gathered, all of them just gawking at him, as he stood there naked. He felt like a circus attraction, but he couldn't move.

But then the scene dissolved, and, as in the other dream, he was now deep in the forest. Madeleine was with him, and she was naked as well. She silently led the way this time, to the place at the lake where they had seen each other face to face after Azkaban. He noticed the same tattoo on her lower back, identical to the one on his chest. He felt a rush of love for her, thinking of the connection which had led her to save his life and seek him out.

Maddy interrupted his thoughts. "Lie down," she commanded softly.

"Here?" Sirius asked.

Maddy nodded, and he did as she said. The ground, which was littered with brush and appeared to be not at all comfortable, felt like a soft springy mattress once he was reclined on it. She wasted no time in climbing on top of him. Her legs slid down on either side of his hips, and she began to kiss him. The kisses barely reached his lips, so soft were they, though he could sense the warmth radiating from them. She teased him by nibbling on his lower lip softly, then drawing away just as he responded, leaving him wanting. The kisses escalated in intensity, slowly and at her pleasure, until they were almost a brutal punishment against his own. She grasped his face with her hands, forcing his lips to hers.

She grew even bolder, inching downward while touching every part of his body with her lips until she had moved between his legs. She brushed her lips softly against his erect cock and kissed it gently, waiting for a response. He moaned with pleasure and threaded his fingers through her hair, trying to force her closer. She took him in her mouth, using her tongue to slowly explore his cock, and savored the taste of him, evident by the deliberate licking of his entire length repeatedly. He became more excited at her ruthless exploration of his body, and pulled her on top of himself so viciously that she was forced to open her legs wide with a gasp of pleasure.

Sirius moaned once more at the feeling of slipping into her warm, tight wetness, and realized suddenly that he was no longer asleep. The kisses hadn't stopped, however, and a woman's legs _were_ wrapped tightly around him, forcing him into her repeatedly.

"Oh, God!" he whispered in surprise and delicious agony. He forced himself to pause, blinking sleepily in the inky darkness, while breathlessly trying to sort out just _who_ was on top of him.

"Weren't expecting to see _me_, were you?" a soft female voice asked, now nibbling and licking sensually on his earlobe.

"Oh, thank God!" he exclaimed, gasping again as she ground herself against him with determination. "I was beginning to think the lady from next door had broken in to welcome me to the neighborhood."

Maddy laughed softly and kissed his lips. "A woman next door, huh? She fancy you?"

"Well, I didn't _think_ so," Sirius whispered cheekily, "and she appears to be about eighty-five, so I'm glad it's you after all. You're much better looking. And you have all your teeth, which is nice," he added offhand, pretending to be sidetracked by this thought.

She laughed again and used them gently on his skin. "All the better to eat you with, my dear."

"Mmmmm. How on earth did you manage to get away? And you don't have to stop what you're doing, mind," he added, when she paused.

He kissed her thoroughly in illustration, threading his fingers through her loose strands of hair as she looked down at him.

"I was missing you. Very _badly_, as you may have noticed."

She moved against him more slowly now. "I was having the most erotic dream about you. Then I woke up just before the crucial moment, unfortunately. So I thought that, rather than taking care of things myself, I'd much rather come and see you. I dressed and snuck past Filch in his late-night stroll around the castle looking for miscreants. Then I went to the one-eyed witch statue and took the tunnel almost all the way to Honeydukes before apparating here. It was like being a kid again, thwarting him."

"Well, I am so glad you did. I've been missing you very much, myself."

"Oh yes. I did catch that you seemed more than happy to have a woman on top of you. God, you are one fucking _sexy_ man." She groaned with pleasure when he thrust himself into her again with renewed dedication. "And _so_ big," she whispered rapturously in his ear.

Now he laughed, rather self-deprecatingly. "Well, thank you, my love. As long as _you_ think so. Now, feel free to continue what you were doing before I interrupted you by waking up."

Maddy sat straight up and resumed her attentions, feeling incredibly aroused and uninhibited by his response. She grappled the thick wood of the headboard as leverage, and continued mercilessly, until they both came with helpless abandon.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy drifted back into consciousness very slowly. She was lying on her side, her face pressed against Sirius's back, and her arm was draped around his waist and covered by his own. His soft, even snores were accompanied by the steady rise and fall of his chest under her arm.

Not wanting to wake him, she brushed his shoulder with her lips and tried to gently extricate herself from him by sliding her arm out from under his.

Sirius stirred anyway, and lifted his head in alarm.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Nothing. But I probably have to get back."

He rolled on his back and looked at her. "Don't, Mad. It's the middle of the night. You're a big girl ... Umbridge can't do anything to you, darling." He took her arm and placed it determinedly back over his chest.

"I'd love to stay, but I have an early class this morning."

Sirius sighed with resignation. "Bloody tease," he murmured, kissing her skin.

Maddy laughed. "Tease? I think not. You came rather noisily, as I remember it."

"Okay, that's true. Surely you have time to stay just a _bit _longer, though?" he asked, now more alert. "I'll make it worth your while."

He reached back to the bedside table for his wand. Taking it in his left hand, he rolled over to face her and whispered a spell, while slowly tracing delicate swirls across her chest. Tiny sparks followed the trails, igniting with fleeting bursts just enough to stimulate Maddy's skin and make her gasp. She eased her head back on the pillow and let him continue.

"You're not allowed to go just yet, I've decided."

His soft words were accompanied by more flickers from his wand, which now moved over her breast in a spiraling motion. She felt a stronger sensation as it reached a nipple. Sirius' face was illuminated with each electrifying burst. The desire in his dark eyes was evident, and a triumphant smile played on his lips. She squirmed at the exquisite torture he inflicted.

"I won't give you a choice," he continued seductively, putting the wand down and touching her breast softly with a hand instead. "You came here to see me, and you will stay until I say you can go." He kissed the nipple.

Maddy moaned softly. "Mmmm. I want more."

The wand was in his hand once more. "Then you shall have more, greedy little witch. _Cruciamo,_" Sirius whispered.

She writhed under him, though not from pain. It was the most delicious feeling of torment imaginable, sweeping over her entire body as long as the wand was trained on her.

"I love you, and you are mine," Sirius growled into her ear. "Tell me you love me."

"I love you," she repeated obediently, her voice raspy. She couldn't stop moving, and didn't want to. The intense pleasure he inflicted made her want to do anything he desired.

Sirius was growing increasingly aroused as he watched Maddy heaving, consumed with pleasure, and he couldn't resist taking her earlobe gently in his teeth. His lips moved down to her neck, and he let the wand fall on her belly as he devoured her, starved for the salty taste of her skin while both hands were now free to explore her body.

Finally, Sirius felt he could wait no more. He threw the wand aside and slid on top of her, entering her fiercely. Maddy, still drunk with the effects of the spell, was thoroughly slick with wetness. She encircled her hands around his neck and pulled his face to hers, wrapping her legs around him at the same time to force him further into her. They moved together viciously for an eternity, both selfishly taking their own pleasure as they kissed and bit each other. Then Maddy began to moan uncontrollably.

"Oh, God. Don't stop," she begged. She forced him into her repeatedly using her entwined legs, so he couldn't break free even if he tried.

Sirius laughed, in spite of his own excitement, at the sound of Maddy coming rather noisily again.

"You'll wake the neighbors, beautiful Madeleine," he said, gasping as the spasms of her climax encouraged him to do the same.

He came shortly after her, not bothering to be quiet himself, and lay on top of her for several minutes, propped on his elbows and looking down at her. She looked back at him and reached up to touch his hair. Beads of sweat dripped off his nose on her chest, and he finally put his head down between her breasts, which were still damp from her own exertions. Maddy wrapped her arms around him and kissed his head. Neither said anything for a while, and she thought he might have fallen asleep. But then he spoke.

"D'you know what I would like now?" he murmured drowsily.

"What would you like?" she softly repeated, thinking surely he couldn't be wanting sex again, so soon.

"I would like for you to be my wife." She felt the words vibrate through her body where his mouth touched her chest.

Maddy kissed his head again. "I would love nothing more than to be your wife."

Sirius raised his head. "Will you marry me?" he asked simply.

He touched her face with his hand and caressed it. She smiled.

"Yes."

"Come back tonight. Please."

"I will," she promised, and kissed him softly on the lips.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Later that morning, Maddy slid into her usual chair at the teachers' table. The scent of toast, bacon and eggs made her realize she was positively starving. Paying no attention to her surroundings, she piled food quickly on her plate and poured some coffee. Once she had shoveled a few bites into her mouth, she relaxed and looked up for the first time. Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall were sitting across from her, both appearing extremely amused.

"Sleep well, O'Hannon?" Snape finally drawled.

"Yeah," Maddy answered. "You?"

"I suppose," he answered. "Probably not as well as you. Or perhaps better than you did," he amended sardonically.

Maddy was suspicious. "Something wrong?"

McGonagall cut in with faux ernestness. "Just that you appear to have been accosted by something last night. Your neck is covered in what appear to be ... insect bites, dear? Perhaps you had a run-in with a swarm of mosquitos." She was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Y'know, that's exactly what must have happened," Maddy replied, flushing with embarrassment but determined to laugh it off. "But I think I'll go change and wear something with a high neck, just in case anyone thinks otherwise."

She winked at them. Snape rolled his eyes, pursing his lips, but Minerva smiled at her indulgently.

"Just take care, Maddy, understand?" Her head tilted in Umbridge's direction and the smile faded.

Maddy nodded. "Yeah, I know."

She glanced briefly in that direction, but wasn't too fussed. As Sirius had said, what could Umbridge do to her, anyway?

_A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, due to the usual pesky RL stuff. I've had 90% of this written for a while now. The last 10% was the tough part, though, and took forever!:) I'm hoping the next one will come more quickly. Thanks for reading, and for your comments, as always! _


	28. Clandestine Meetings

"I want to apologize," Sirius said.

He and Maddy stood in the kitchen at Rotherwood at two o'clock in the morning, taking turns munching on crisps from a bag and sharing a bottle of wine. She had only just arrived, sleepy and bedraggled after late hours patrolling the halls, but she craved a snack. Sirius was already dressed for bed, barefoot and clad only in a pair of pajama bottoms. His hair was mussed where he had fallen asleep while waiting on her arrival, but he was in exceptionally good spirits.

"Damn Peeves," Maddy broke in irritably. "He saw me heading down the hall and began screeching at the top of his lungs that I was 'escaping'. Bloody idiot. I thought for sure someone would see me."

Sirius looked concerned. "Just be careful when you do this, especially in the middle of the night. I worry that it's dangerous for you. What if someone else happened to be in that tunnel, for example? But I'm very glad you're here."

She shrugged, reaching up to kiss his salty lips. "Worth it, I think."

He smiled. "Well, as I was saying, I want to apologize."

"What on earth for?"

"First, proposing to you in that manner. That wasn't really how I'd planned to do it. It just felt so wonderful, lying in your arms in complete darkness, as though time was standing still. However, it was not exactly a suitable way to ask the woman I love to marry me."

"I don't mind. Personally, I found it very romantic." Maddy smiled reassuringly at him.

"I'm glad. One more thing, though. After you left, I worried about that spell I used on you. I should've asked your permission first. It was wrong of me, doing that to you."

"Oh, dear Merlin, you think I _minded_? That was incredible! No one's ever -" She broke off, feeling embarrassed about what she had been about to say.

Sirius laughed anyway. "Good. Ever heard of that one, though?"

"No, can't say I recall that from the _Standard Book of Spells, Grade One_. Nor grades two through seven," she replied with a sly grin.

"Ah. Well, there are places one can find such things, if one only knows where to look."

Maddy thought for a minute, and couldn't resist asking. "Have _you_ ever -?" She stopped herself once more. It was none of her business, after all.

Sirius kissed her again. "No. I haven't, other than practicing it on a rat recently to test the effects before I did it to you. Bloody animal fell in love with me, I think. Nothing happened between us, though, so don't worry," he added with a grin. "Now, are you ready for bed?"

She nodded. "Thankfully, I can stay a bit later. I've nothing to do this morning, being Saturday. I'll probably return via the Shrieking Shack, and make it look as if I'd been taking a walk."

Maddy suddenly noticed something about him. "Is this what I think it is?" she asked, fingering a long leather cord around his bare neck. A carved symbol of bone had been threaded through it, and swung as he moved.

Sirius looked down, examining it. "Yeah. I rather liked it. Another rune, but I can't have too many of those, right?" He grinned.

"I like it," Maddy said, and yawned.

"C'mon, then, let's go to bed."

Sirius stuffed a cork into the half-empty bottle of wine and slid it across the counter. Then, taking Maddy's hand, he led her up the stairs to their bedroom.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next few weeks plodded along uneventfully. Classes were tolerable, even if Maddy felt rather uninspired in her teaching. She had begun to dream about plans of a wedding, and those thoughts occupied her, especially on the mornings she wasn't forced to lecture. She considered places they might get married, remembering the curious notion of France as seen in her vision. She had no idea why it might be the location for a ceremony, though.

Harry's second detention came and went without incident. This time no unwanted students bothered to show up, and fortunately Umbridge seemed to have other plans as well, though she reminded Maddy that any punishment she might want to inflict on Harry Potter in her absence was perfectly acceptable.

Another Hogsmeade weekend was approaching the following Saturday, and as the DA class wrapped up in the Room of Requirement for the second time, Maddy brought up the option of having a class at the house near Hogsmeade. She didn't reveal who the owner was, only that it would be a perfect place in which to practice form and technique with plenty of space. They would find out soon enough about Sirius. The students agreed overwhelmingly to this idea. Much as they liked the village of Hogsmeade, visiting the same old shops was becoming a bit monotonous. Throwing in an illegal defense practice and plenty of free food sounded good to them.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Well, Maddy, I heard a very interesting piece of news." Umbridge smirked one day as she raised a cup to her bright pink lips and pursed them delicately before taking a sip of hot tea.

"Really?" Maddy asked, only pretending to listen. Her mind was on the Hogsmeade defense practice, which was planned for the next day.

The two women sat in Maddy's classroom, which was empty now that her students had all fled for their next subjects. Umbridge had made a show that day of "inspecting" the second-year Arithmancy class ("just a formality, dear, to appear fair" she had murmured to Maddy under her breath upon entering). Students always detested the high inquisitor's presence in their classes, and they had already made a mass beeline for the door once they were dismissed.

"You've heard of that grand manse that overlooks the lake just outside Hogsmeade? The one they call Rotherwood? _Well_, I have it on good authority that none other than Sirius Black has purchased it!"

She sat back triumphantly and waited on the other witch's reaction. Maddy paused, thinking quickly. How should she react? Umbridge misunderstood the emotions flitting across her face, and immediately appeared abashed.

"Oh, no, dear. I shouldn't have mentioned anything. I'm so sorry! Always speaking before I think," she admonished herself, though it was clear she was still keen to gauge Maddy's response.

Maddy finally sighed. "Oh. Any word on if he's ... alone there?" she asked cautiously, hoping that her own presence at the house hadn't leaked out.

Umbridge shrugged. "Just between you and me, I happen to know the Ministry has kept a few informal _tabs_ on him since he regained his freedom. There've been several women-"

Maddy gave an involuntary start, looking sharply at Umbridge.

"But that was before you started seeing him," she continued. "Upon his return to England from the continent, last year, there were several. None lasted long." She snorted at this.

"Why would the Ministry want to keep tabs on a free man, Dolores?" Maddy asked, trying to keep her voice neutral. Inside, however, she seethed. Bloody good-for-nothing Ministry of Magic. Did they ever do_ anything_ useful? She wondered if Sirius knew about this. A smaller part of her wondered also exactly how many women there were. She tried not to think about _that_.

"Well, the Black family has been long known for their close association to all things Dark," Umbridge answered. "Even though Sirius was found innocent, after all that time, well ... you just never know, do you?" She took another tiny sip.

"Strangely, though, almost no one actually knew _you_ were seeing him at the time. He seemed to disappear, almost. Just seen out and about very infrequently. So ..."

She trained a gimlet eye on Maddy, who stared back. The younger witch finally shrugged.

"Honestly, Dolores, I did say once I don't like discussing that part of my life. It just ... hurts too much. But I'm beyond confident that Sirius would never be involved in any kind of dark stuff."

It was all Maddy could do to keep from taking that infernal teacup and bashing the high inquisitor over the head with it. Umbridge noticed her unsettled manner and, thinking it must be directed at Sirius, decided it was time to change the subject.

"Well, I must be going. I'm off to interview some students today and I really should get started."

"Interview students?"

"Just as a precaution," Umbridge continued, lowering her voice. "With that useless Dumbledore here, illicit student organizations are becoming rampant. I've heard rumors here and there about a secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group, but regrettably, I've yet to catch them in the act thus far. Nothing for you to worry about, though. Just keep your eyes and ears open for me, won't you? I'm sure if there is such a thing, Potter would probably be the ringleader. It would be nice to get him expelled from Hogwarts once and for all, wouldn't it?"

Maddy nodded absently, wishing Umbridge would hurry up and go away. Finally the squat woman stood up, and Maddy did the same.

"I'll talk to you later, Maddy. Oh, and don't worry about Sybil Trelawney either. Bitter old woman ... can't see in front of her own face, much less with an 'inner eye'." She laughed. "I'll have her out of here before long, as well, no matter what _Dumbledore_ thinks."

The ex-divination professor had already cornered Maddy again, raving drunkenly about how the younger witch was trying to usurp her own position in the castle. And Umbridge had, in fact, rallied fiercely for Maddy to take Sybil's place once she had sacked the woman. Fortunately Albus had stepped in, enraging the High Inquisitor with the addition of a centaur as the new Divination teacher. Maddy was vastly relieved, wanting nothing to do with the post anyway. She hoped Firenze knew what _he_ was getting into, though.

oOoOoOoOoOoOO

Blustery March winds may as well have been a gentle breeze to the students of Dumbledore's Army, who were in high spirits, being able to practice their spells outside. They had been cooped up in the castle all winter to do their work, and shot periodic looks of gratitude toward Maddy and Sirius, who sat on the hillside beside the house, watching them while talking to each other. The affection and body language between them escaped no one's notice, and earned many curious glances, mostly from girls.

At one point, Sirius noticed Harry looking in the direction of Cho Chang.

"Is that the girl Harry went out with recently?"

Maddy looked in their direction. "Yeah, it was Cho."

"Mmmph," he snorted.

"What does that mean?"

"Keep watching. Someone else has her eye on him." He grinned. "Well, I hope he has better luck than his father did for those six long years before Lily would look twice at him."

"Who has her eye on Harry, then?"

"Ginny," Sirius noted with satisfaction. "_She's_ a pretty girl, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah," Maddy agreed, looking over at the auburn-haired student. She detected that Sirius didn't much care for Cho, but she decided not to pursue the subject.

Finally everyone was tired of working and ready to eat. Harry announced that the next practice would involve casting patronuses, and asked Sirius and Maddy to demonstrate. Sirius stood up and dusted himself off. Taking wand in hand, he effortlessly cast a large ghostly dog which ran amongst the students with its tail wagging. Maddy tried not to laugh at the faces of some female students, who were now looking at Sirius with the same fascination of girls who had ogled Gilderoy Lockhart a few years before. An image of Sirius as a professor at Hogwarts entered Maddy's mind, and she knew instinctively that his chosen subject would be Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Show them yours, Mad," Sirius was saying to Maddy.

She shook off thoughts that were rapidly heading into the gutter, and gripped her wand. Soon another dog, slightly smaller than his, was loping around the crowd of students. Everyone snickered at the similarities between the two patronuses. Then they all headed inside, chattering animatedly, for an early dinner before going back to the school. Nobody seemed to care that the house was sparsely decorated, and Sirius didn't bother telling them that he was waiting on his fiancee to assist him with that task, once she was done with school for the year.

Finally, once everyone was stuffed from eating, the kids decided to filter out of the house and back through Hogsmeade in small groups, to avoid suspicion from any non-DA students. Harry was among the last to leave, and he spoke to Sirius for several minutes while Ron and Hermione chatted with Maddy.

Then the house was empty, except for the pair. Sirius walked over to an unadorned window, looking out at the last departing students and fading sunlight.

"Let's go back outside for a few minutes," he suggested.

Without waiting for an answer, he took Maddy's hand, leading her through the large door and across the yard.

The wind had picked up again, and Maddy was forced to bundle her cloak around her tightly as they walked. Sirius didn't seem to notice the weather, but guided her to the hillside where they had watched the students practicing; the same place where someday they would watch their son playing.

"I had to bring you here alone. I wanted to do it before sunset, so we don't have long. Otherwise I'll be doing this in the dark."

"Doing what?" Maddy asked.

"Asking for your hand."

She smiled. "I already said 'yes'. And I thought it was perfect."

"Thank you. But I have a 'wee giftie' for you, as they say around here, this time."

Sirius motioned for Maddy to sit on the cold ground. She gamely complied, watching him.

"Madeleine," he said, sinking to one knee, "will you -"

He broke off as he lost his balance, toppling to the ground on his bottom. He had been holding an object in his hand, and lost his grip on it at the same time. Cursing, he felt around on the ground until he had located it once more. He grabbed Maddy and pulled her onto his lap instead.

"Oh, never mind that. Hurry up and take this or I'll lose it again, the way my luck's going." He laughed.

"Take what?"

"This ring. Hold out your hand."

She did as he asked, while putting her other arm around him for support.

Sirius took the ring he had been holding and slid it on her finger. Maddy looked down at it. The gold of the evening sun made the stone seem a lovely gold itself. The large square sparkled brilliantly in the fading light. Then she noticed the tiny diamonds surrounding it on a platinum band.

"This ... this is absolutely beautiful, Siri. Thank you." Maddy smiled and touched his face with the same hand. "I love you."

She tilted her hand back and forth, showing the glittery ring in different angles, then looked back at Sirius. His beard brushed against her face, and in the rapidly approaching darkness, the shade of his features reminded her of another time, when he had been on the opposite side of heavy iron bars and couldn't take his eyes off her.

"And I love you. I've come up in the world since then, at least," Sirius said quietly. He seemed to be reading her mind.

"How did you know I was thinking about that?" Maddy asked.

"It's taken me a long time, but I can remember that day now. In Azkaban. You looked at me the same way."

"I wish_ I _could remember it better," she replied. "I still only see little flashes of it. The other memory – the one down by the lake – _that_ came back within six months, though it was a difficult recovery."

She felt the warmth of Sirius's body next to hers, and moved closer to him.

"Well, I'll show it to you sometime. I don't mind if you look," he said, referring to her ability to perform legilimency.

"I'd love to see it," she admitted.

They sat, bundled together in silence, as the sun went down. Then Sirius took Maddy's hand and they walked back inside.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

By the end of March, Maddy was chomping at the bit to be done with Hogwarts and return to life with Sirius. Umbridge's – and the ministry's – interference at school had been steadily rising to intolerable levels, and everyone around her was constantly on their guard, though more from fatigue at the incessant demands placed on them than actual fear of the high inquisitor. Maddy had hardly seen Albus Dumbledore at all in recent weeks. He seemed to be perpetually busy and preoccupied, though he always managed a cheerful greeting when he passed her in the halls. She wondered if the Ministry presence was wearing him down somewhat. Then, only a few days later, things at Hogwarts took a very bad turn.

Maddy was exhausted from her recent clandestine trips into Hogsmeade to visit Sirius, and had gone to bed early. She slept only fitfully, however, in spite of her fatigue. She felt a vague sense of foreboding that frustrated her. Wishing she could channel it into something useful, she sat up in bed and tried to focus on the unsettling thoughts. But regardless, they remained just out of reach, and she gave up, trying to read instead. Eventually, she plopped her head back on the pillow, annoyed and restless, and it was a few hours before she managed to drift off to sleep.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The following morning, a heavy knock at the door woke Maddy, and she sat bolt upright, blinking several times to clear her mind. At first she thought she had imagined it, but then it came again. A hard rapping, and louder this time. She quickly slid out of bed and checked the time. Almost seven o'clock.

"Coming," Maddy groused as she shrugged on a robe.

She opened the door slightly, glaring at whomever was standing there. It was Argus Filch, standing there with a smile on his face that didn't quite reach his beady eyes.

"The headmistress would like to see you now," he said, seeming to savor the words as they rolled off his tongue.

"Now? Is something wrong?" Maddy asked in confusion, then stopped herself. _Headmistress_?

"No. For the first time, everything is right 'round here. Madame Umbridge wants you in her office. Immediately. She didn't say as to why," Filch said with unbridled glee, and now his grin was wider. Maddy had never seen him look happy before, and thought he appeared even more unpleasant that way.

"Where's Dumbledore?" Maddy demanded.

"Scarpered," was the clipped response from the caretaker, who stood back and made it clear he wasn't leaving until Maddy went with him.

Maddy's mouth hung open. What the hell had happened?

"Um, okay. Let me change, and I'll go up there."

"I'm to wait on you," he said, and wouldn't budge.

She shrugged and closed her door back. What on earth was going on? Things had seemed normal the previous evening when she had last seen anyone. Maddy walked back into her bedroom and suddenly noticed a piece of parchment sitting on the bed that she hadn't noticed before. She grabbed it quickly, and took exactly three seconds to read it.

_Get away from Hogwarts now. Go to GP. I will inform S to expect you there. AD_

Maddy stared at the note, and the unsettled feeling graduated into full-blown horror. Umbridge must have found out about her. She thought quickly, wondering if she could break away from the nasty caretaker and get outside quickly, or perhaps take one of the tunnels out of the castle to Hogsmeade or the Shrieking Shack. The knocking began again.

"I don't have all day," the voice declared with impatience. "Get dressed."

Maddy crumpled the note up and jumped when it immediately burst into flames and was incinerated. She had to find a way to get to Grimmauld Place, and quickly. Taking her clothes from the previous day, she slid them on. She didn't bother with a coat, nor with brushing her hair. The thought occurred to her to send Sirius a patronus, so she grabbed her wand and produced it, adding a message.

"I think I'm in trouble here. Albus wants us to meet at the house in London. I'll be there as soon as possible," Maddy said in a low voice, then added a quick "Love you," before she instructed her patronus to go to Sirius.

What had happened between last night and this morning? And if _she_ was in trouble, did that mean Harry and the others had been caught? She wrestled with putting some boots on and cursed when they didn't cooperate at first. Finally they slid on her feet. Then she spied the silver torq that Sirius had given her for Christmas and swiftly fastened it around her neck. Couldn't forget _that_, she thought. Lastly, she grabbed her wand and gripped it tightly. Taking a deep breath, Maddy went back to the door and opened it. Filch still stood there, tapping his foot. He tried to grab her arm, but she wrested it away.

"You don't need to touch me," she snapped.

Maddy had never liked Filch, but especially not now. He stayed close to her as they walked down the hallway. No students were about just yet, but the hall portrait subjects were alert, and followed them curiously from picture to picture as they passed.

She tried in vain to head innocently toward the corridor that led to the one-eyed witch statue, but Filch would have none of it. He picked a different route to Umbridge's office on the opposite side of the castle, and soon enough they arrived outside her door.

"Come in," a saccharine voice tinkled when Filch knocked.

The pair walked in to see Dolores Umbridge seated at her pink throne and wearing grand robes of the same shade. Harry Potter sat across from her, looking as nervous as Maddy felt.

"Sit down, Maddy dear," Umbridge said softly, then motioned for Filch to leave.

The thud as the door closed shut behind them was the only sound for a few seconds. Finally, Maddy turned back to look at Umbridge, who wore a serene expression as she calmly sipped tea. She seated herself beside Harry and looked to make sure he was all right.

"Dolores, what happened to Albus?" Maddy asked, finding her voice.

"Oh, that. Well, we attempted to have Dumbledore arrested last night. A certain group of children had been caught doing illegal activities in the Room of Requirement yesterday evening, and Mr. Potter here was among them. Cornelius arrived with some aurors from Magical Law Enforcement to take him away, but unfortunately they were ... unsuccessful. Here," she continued, pushing a cup and saucer toward Maddy. "Have some tea, dear. I insist."

Maddy eyed the cup. "No thanks. I'm not thirsty."

Umbridge made a soft moue, with her lower lip turned down. "But you always say that. Really now, drink up," she said, and there was a steely edge present in her voice now.

"Dolores, I have a confession to make."

Umbridge immediately leaned forward, looking intently at Maddy.

"Yes?" she said with dangerous softness.

Maddy swallowed. "Well, it's just that ... I really _hate_ tea. I didn't want to say anything before." She laughed, shrugging. "And I should probably have my citizenship revoked, but honestly, I can't stand the stuff."

Umbridge looked slightly more displeased. "You'll like mine," she insisted.

The younger witch shrugged and took the cup. "All right."

She put the cup to her lips, trying to detect a scent of veritaserum or some other substance, but she could only smell tea. Pretending to take a sip, she set the cup back in the saucer and looked back at Umbridge.

"Now, what's all this about Harry and an illegal student group?" Maddy asked. "I know you mentioned something a while back, but I was under the impression that those rumors had turned out to be false. How do you know they were doing something wrong?"

She had heard no such thing, of course, but felt the need to try and deflect punishment from Harry in _some_ way.

"Well, interestingly, some new things have come to light very recently. Not only was it proven that an illegal group calling themselves 'Dumbledore's Army' exists, but they were caught in the act last night in the Room by some of my student aides."

"Caught in the act? You, or they, actually saw illegal activities taking place?"

Umbridge stared at Maddy, with all traces of a smile disappearing rapidly. "They were leaving the Room just as my aides approached. But one of them had confessed to me already about their activities, then was promptly hit by some hex for her confession. It had been put in place by another student."

"And who was this?" Maddy asked, wondering what student could have outed them.

"Miss Edgecombe," the headmistress said triumphantly, before taking another sip of tea.

Marietta Edgecombe. That little shit, Maddy thought angrily, though she struggled to keep her face impassive.

"What on earth could Marietta have told you?" Maddy asked breezily.

Umbridge gave a tinkly laugh. "Well, for starters, Maddy, that _you_ have been involved, from shortly after the time you came to Hogwarts in January. Then I received a tip just yesterday, from the father of a student, also expressing his concern that you were involved in some covert activities."

"Who?" Maddy asked, not even thinking to deny the accusation.

"Lucius Malfoy, who happens to be a trusted friend of Cornelius," Umbridge answered with a little smile. "Draco had spoken to him, being distraught about the things that might be happening here. Oh, and another thing. Your, um, _association_ with Sirius Black has been called into question."

"How, exactly?" Maddy asked, and she was more angry now than frightened.

What exactly could Umbridge do to her, anyway? She thought quickly. Make her leave? That would be the answer to her prayers, anyway. But then she remembered that the Ministry had attempted to arrest Dumbledore already, thinking he had been involved. A memory of the dank prison cells in Azkaban entered her mind, and she felt slightly ill.

"Miss Edgecombe informed us that the pair of you even invited students to his house to practice. You appeared to be very ... _cozy_, she said. So it would appear," she stood up, and Maddy realized that rage simmered just beneath the veneer of sugary sweetness, "you've been lying to _me_ all this time. Pretending to be nice, crying about how Harry Potter came between you and Sirius, breaking the two of you apart ..." Her voice was low and shaky as she fiddled with her teacup.

Harry, who had been silent, looked sharply at Maddy with this information.

"We'll talk about it later," Maddy said quietly to him.

"Oh, I think _not_," Umbridge snarled. "You won't be doing much at all, I'm afraid, when I've finished with you."

A knock came at the door.

"Good. I expect that's our other guest." The smug grin had returned.

She pushed back her chair and walked to the door. It opened wide, and Maddy started in shock. Nymphadora Tonks stood there, dressed in her official Magical Law Enforcement robes and a badge identifying her. She looked past Umbridge to gaze interestedly at Maddy and Harry.

"Come in, please," Umbridge said, all business now.

She returned to her chair and sat down. Tonks closed the door behind her and continued to stand silently near the doorway. Maddy looked back up at the pink-haired witch, confused as to why she might be there.

"Auror Tonks will be escorting you to the Ministry, where you will be questioned about your involvement in seditious activities. A nice little stretch in Azkaban might be an option, as well."

The look on Umbridge's face suggested that this alternative would be most agreeable to her.

Tonks walked over to Maddy and spoke for the first time. "I'll have to ask you to give up your wand, Ms. O'Hannon."

Maddy stared up at the other witch, incredulous, then looked back at Umbridge. "Right. This is just stupid. They're kids, Dolores, not a damn army. Is Fudge _really_ afraid of a bunch of students?"

Umbridge wasn't moved. "She asked you to give up your wand. Now, are you going to do it, or do you need help?"

She took her own wand off the desk and held it threateningly.

Maddy looked back at Tonks, who held out her gloved hand. She rolled her eyes and handed over her wand to the pink-haired witch. She felt helpless without the instrument, but wondered how Umbridge could actually go through this.

"Well, Mr. Potter, you may have wondered why I brought you back here this morning. I believe you have a lesson coming to you. Well, you and Maddy both, I think. Madame Tonks, if you will do the honors?"

Immediately, whiplike cords wound tightly around Maddy's wrists on the arms of the chair. She gasped in pain and surprise.

"What the fuck are you playing at?"

Umbridge shot her an unpleasant smile. "I won't tolerate bad language. Mr. Potter," she continued, now addressing Harry, "you are about to see what happens to those who are disloyal to me and, by extension, the Ministry."

Tonks stepped out of the way as Umbridge lifted her wand.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius paced around the kitchen of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, feeling increasingly impatient and agitated. Maddy should have been there a few hours earlier, according to her patronus and Dumbledore's note, which had both arrived very early that morning. He had left Rotherwood immediately, apparating to the usual alley close to the Black house in London. Now, all he could do was wait and twiddle his thumbs, and he was beginning to have a very bad feeling about the situation.

"Sirius? Sirius!! Answer me!"

The voice sounded very muffled, as if the speaker had a cloth stuffed in his mouth. Sirius looked around for a moment, confused, then realized it was Harry speaking through the two-way mirror that he faithfully kept in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out.

"Harry! Are you all right?"

"Sirius, I'm okay. It's Maddy. Umbridge had her brought to her office this morning. Questioned her about everything ... the DA, you, everything," he repeated.

"Where is she?" Sirius asked.

A creaking noise sounded from behind him. He wheeled around, still holding the mirror, to see Remus and Tonks approaching down the basement stairs. Then he turned his attentions back to Harry.

"Where's Madeleine, Harry?"

"She's been carted off to London and the Ministry for questioning. Umbridge told her she might go to Azkaban. Tonks was there, Sirius!"

Harry's voice seemed more and more desperate as he spoke.

"Tonks?!"

"Yeah! Pink spiky hair ... y'know how she looks."

Sirius looked up at the woman in question, who stared back at him, shocked. She shook her head mutely, and all three knew what had happened. It must have been Victoria, somehow, who had used polyjuice potion. Sirius didn't have time to explain this to Harry, however.

"It wasn't really Tonks, Harry. I'll tell you about it later, though. What happened?" he asked urgently.

Harry paused now, as if trying to decide how to put his thoughts into words.

"Sirius ... they – Umbridge – "

"What did the old cow do to you, Harry? Don't worry, I'll take care of her," Sirius said decisively.

"Not me," Harry answered slowly. "Maddy."

"What about her?" Sirius asked again. He was rapidly losing patience and longed to be out looking for his fiancee.

Harry took a deep breath. "Umbridge crucio'd her. In front of me and Tonks ... or whoever." He was shaking his head, as if trying to rid himself of the memory. "I've never heard a person ..." his voice trailed off and he didn't finish the sentence.

Sirius stared at the mirror, his mouth wide open in shock. He sat down heavily, white-faced, in the nearest chair and spoke again as he gripped the mirror.

"You've never heard ... what?" he asked slowly.

Harry hesitated a moment, then said in a shaky voice, "I've never heard anyone scream like that. I'm so sorry, Sirius."


	29. Prisoner

At first, Maddy was unable to open her eyes. Even the thought of trying to pry them open produced a pain so intense she almost passed out. She groaned, feeling ... well, _uncomfortable_ was a kind word for it. Her arms felt stretched beyond their limits, and she finally came to the conclusion that they had been bound tightly, an idea cemented by a futile attempt to move them, and more pain. She squeezed the fingers of her left hand together. Her ring was still in place, at least. A link to Sirius.

Eventually, the sick feeling ebbed and she managed to look around, not that it did her any good. She was in utter darkness, and currently had no idea where she might be. And more annoyingly, her other senses appeared to take their own sweet time returning. She tried desperately to hear a noise of some kind, but the place was so black and soundless that she thought time must surely be standing still.

"Sirius,"she whispered urgently, and wished he could hear her. But there was only oppressive silence in response, and she had never felt so alone.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy's head jerked up. _I must have dozed off_, she thought wearily. Her arms now felt like two dead weights stretched on either side of her body, and her legs weren't in much better shape, bent under her body and close to the floor. Just then, a familiar aroma delicately touched her nostrils, and she felt comforted.

_Mum, _she thought contentedly. The faint scent of lavender reminded her that it had been a favorite of her mother's, and the still room just off her kitchen was a place for hanging bunches of that herb. It had served as a pantry, as well. But that couldn't be where Maddy was now, not if it was daytime, at least. There had been a tiny window in it, she recalled. She concentrated on inhaling deeply, trying with desperation to detect other odors that might tell her where she was. Another scent became apparent; one of earth and musty dampness, and she decided she must be held captive in a cellar.

Suddenly the image of Umbridge appeared in her mind, and Maddy cried out reflexively, remembering excruciating pain that was more intense and unrelenting than anything she had ever experienced. She panicked now, and struggled in vain with the bonds holding her. But it seemed the more she fought them, the tighter they became. Finally, gasping and shaky, she gave up and tried to think of her mother again; anything to get her mind off that _cruciatus_ curse. A memory sparked by the lavender scent came back to her, one of playing in the kitchen, as a little child, as the woman worked. Then William's sullen face, rife with an attack of teenage spots, as he argued with their mum, as usual. _Dad will let me do it, _he had sneered once in response to some rejected request.

William. Fear of her situation dissipated when Maddy considered him. That fucking bastard, she thought maliciously. She wished desperately to have these bonds removed, so she could end this once and for all. He deserved to die. Then the pink-haired witch floated, like a ghost, into Maddy's mind, and she felt the same anger toward Tonks, whom she had thought was a good person, and her friend. How could she have stood by, silently watching as Umbridge cursed her in front of a boy they both knew? That made no sense whatsoever.

_Mum, help me._ Maddy pleaded silently with her dead mother, wishing she could give her some guidance from beyond the grave. Then she remembered something so incredibly obvious she couldn't believe she had ever forgotten it. The letter her mother had sent Sirius at Christmastime. The one that plainly stated a pink-haired witch would be present if William was able to abduct her. _Jesus, how could I be so stupid?_ Maddy thought, now angry with herself for her slow-witted response. Tonks would never harm her. Her mother had known about Victoria, but had thought the witch with pink hair must be someone else. But how hard would it be for William's wife to take a tiny bit of Tonks' hair sometime to mix with polyjuice potion? Was that what had happened?

Too many thoughts clamored for attention all at once in Maddy's mind, and her head pounded in protest. She recalled being sent to Umbridge's office. Sending Sirius a patronus. The squirrelly Filch tapping his foot impatiently, telling her to hurry up. Maddy grabbing the torc Sirius had given her for Christmas and frantically fastening it around her neck.

Now the one vision that had meant more to her than anything came back in a flood of memories. Her beloved husband, speaking to her from the future on the lawn beside their home. She remembered his words by heart now. _What I want you to do, _Sirius had said, _is to have your other wand on you at all times. You can transfigure it to be this. _His head was resting at her pregnant belly, but he had reached up to touch the silver necklace with its constellation of diamonds that rested in the hollow between her collarbones. _It will come in handy. I'll do the same. _Maddy thought of the long leather cord, with its symbol of bone, that Sirius had recently shown her. Perhaps he _had_ done the same thing with it. She couldn't remember for sure if he had said. She wanted more than anything to feel the comfort of that torc around her neck now, but she had no way of knowing if it was still there.

An intense sadness overtook her, and hot tears spilled, streaking down her face. What if she didn't get out of this? No marriage to Sirius, no son, nor possibly a daughter. She would never see him again. And, oh _God_, was Voldemort going to show up, demanding that she prophesy for him? He would kill her just as soon as he discovered she was unable to do it. Or even worse, he might decide to use the cruciatus curse on her. Maddy didn't think she could live through _that_ again.

_Oh, for fuck's sake_, she told herself, heaving a deep breath. _Stop being so pathetic_. She had an element of surprise on her side with that torc, after all. Surely it was still there. If she could convince William to undo her bindings and get feeling back in her arms, he wouldn't know what hit him. She fervently hoped that Sirius was able to rally reinforcements. He would come after her, she knew, and Maddy was confident her brother would be no match for him. She wanted Sirius to be in as little danger as possible, though.

Time crept by, she supposed, and she dozed off restlessly a few more times, though it seemed only for a few minutes before her head jerked back up in alarm. She thought she had detected a noise, from far off. _God, please let it be Sirius_, she thought with despair. Maddy had never been a very religious person, but now seemed to be an excellent time to start praying.

Then footsteps echoed overhead, slow and deliberate. Maddy got the sense that not only was this _not_ Sirius, it was someone who was in absolutely no hurry whatsoever. The sound resembled high heels on a creaky wooden floor, and she doubted that it was a man. Her heartbeat began to hammer as she waited on the unknown person, most likely Victoria, to show herself. But just as the thought struck her, there was silence once more.

Maddy held her breath, wondering what would happen next. _I_ will _make it through this_, she told herself. But nerves, and the damp cold of the cellar, began to affect her, and she started to tremble uncontrollably.

The sound of high heels on wood started up again, and closer this time, until it sounded right above her. She saw a sliver of light and heard another kind of creak, and she looked up at the ceiling, squinting as she made out a door being opened. It must be a trapdoor that pulled up from the floor, she thought. The room was now being littered with falling dust. Maddy looked down, shaking her head as it filled the room. She sneezed loudly, and the person who had opened the door laughed. It was a deep throaty sound, but unmistakably a woman's laughter.

The heels clacked on rickety wooden steps that Maddy could now make out, though she blinked several times, trying to accustom her eyes to the presence of light. The skirt of a long, dark dress swayed with each step, and Maddy craned her neck, trying desperately to get a better view of the person. The woman reached the bottom step and stopped for a moment.

"Well, hello there, Maddy." The person, as yet unknown, smiled at her and walked over.

As she grew closer, however, the smile became more of a leer. Maddy examined her closely, expecting to see Victoria Dunham, but this woman had long, raven hair that appeared to have run amuck on her head. Frizzy curls, that might have been attractive had they been groomed, stuck out in all directions, and heavy-lidded, deep set grey eyes observed Maddy's response with amusement.

"Notice a resemblance?" the woman asked with a twisted grin. She held a crooked wand in one hand, tapping it innocently against her other palm.

"My blood traitor cousin and I look something alike, don't you think? To my great misfortune. Or perhaps you've seen my picture in the _Prophet_. Though it wasn't very flattering."

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Maddy said hoarsely, trying to clear her throat. Yet another memory, long since dormant, came over her._ A little girl, in a gloomily-appointed drawing room, screaming as her mother made a small cut on her wrist and pressed it to a boy's. Out of the crowd watching, an older girl with dark curly hair and heavy-lidded eyes laughed at him._

"That's me. Bet you'd like to have one of these, wouldn't you?" the other woman taunted softly now, taking her wand and pointing it at Maddy's heart. "Well, we've got a few minutes, I think, so we'll just have a little chat as we wait. I'm sure you must have questions."

Maddy's mind began to process details furiously. Her eyes darted around in a panic as she tried to figure out where she was, now that the room was meagerly lit, but if this was her family's home, she didn't recognize it.

"Where am I?" she asked flatly. Her voice came out as something of a croak.

"Your old stomping grounds, my dear," Bellatrix answered, flashing a smile. "The stately O'Hannon residence. But I suppose you've never seen this part of it, according to your dear brother. Needs a bit of cleaning," she added with a bark-like laugh that made Maddy glance sharply at another resemblance to Sirius.

"Where's William?" Maddy demanded, as though he would come to her aid.

"Oh, he'll be along soon enough. So. What did you think of the _cruciatus_? Nice, huh?"

Maddy looked at her in confusion.

"Ah. You didn't know, did you? Ugly bird with the pink hair ... that mud-blood Tonks? That was me." She shuddered. "_Merlin_, her potion tasted like cotton candy. How disgusting. Ol' Umbridge was a big help, though, and she didn't even know it! We were beginning to think we'd never get you, and then she was made headmistress!"

"You?" Maddy replied weakly. Why on earth would Bellatrix Lestrange be involved?

"Yes, my dear," Bellatrix replied with exaggerated patience. "No one really trusted Victoria or William" – she pulled a face – "to succeed, having failed at several attempts already. And since others of us have been hearing of your virtues ad nauseam, we decided, collectively, that you might just come in useful in several capacities. But more about that later. I hate to spoil all the fun for you."

"How long have I been here?"

Bellatrix grinned. "Tired of the accommodations already? Let's see ... about four hours, I believe."

Her head jerked up sharply with the distant sound of a door closing, then her gaze settled on Maddy again. More than one person was approaching from the main floor this time. Bellatrix turned, training her wand at the empty space in the ceiling until she was could identify the people descending the stairs.

William was first, followed by another man, and Maddy blinked, trying to figure out who the other person was. Bellatrix grinned and lowered her wand.

"Bellatrix, I hope you haven't spoiled my news already."

Maddy looked around Bellatrix to see a tall blond-haired man stepping off the bottom stair. The scent of lavender seemed to grow stronger, and she wondered if Lucius Malfoy wore it as a cologne. He strolled slowly over to her, noticing her discomfort and clearly enjoying it. He lit his wand and looked her over through narrowed eyes. Maddy had the uneasy feeling of being mentally stripped bare.

"Been missing your brother?" Malfoy asked softly, tilting his head in the other wizard's direction.

"No," Maddy answered sharply, finding her voice as she glared at William, who looked triumphantly back at her. "How about explaining this room, Will? I don't seem to remember it."

William walked over and stood next to Malfoy.

"Oh, this," he answered, as if he was surprised she would care. "Dad created this room several years back."

He looked around at the sparse cellar, glancing speculatively at dirt walls. "It was just before Mum got a bit too mouthy with him. After your boyfriend got sent off to Azkaban. Too bad she didn't _see _any of that coming!" He laughed.

"Keep going," Maddy said, though her voice was shakier now. She had the distinct feeling that she knew where this was headed, but she wanted to hear him say it.

William shrugged. "Obvious, isn't it? She died in here. Poor Dad felt sorry for me. I didn't appreciate the things she was saying. Bloody old hag and her damned _sight_. She got what was coming to her."

Maddy's body ached terribly, but she paid it no attention. "You watched, did you?" Her voice still shook, but now from anger.

"No," her brother said slowly, getting closer to her face. "Our_ father_ watched. I think he was shocked I was capable of it, actually. But he got over that soon enough."

She stared at him, unbelieving. "You fucking low-life. You're telling me _you_ killed our mother?" Maddy asked hoarsely. "How _could_ you?"

"It was easy enough," William replied calmly. "She was a stupid, nosy bitch. No use to our dad, nor me. Father went to Azkaban on my account ... he 'confessed' once people started questioning things. Anything to keep me away from that place, poor soul. I'm sorry he's gone, at least."

He flinched when a gob of spit landed on his face, and his eyes narrowed with hatred at his sister. He yanked his wand out of his robes and pointed it in Maddy's face in retaliation.

"I wouldn't mind doing it to you, either, if I didn't already have plans for you," William growled in a low voice after wiping his face. "In fact, how about some more _crucio_ first? Bella said you were screaming loud enough to wake the dead." He smiled now, unpleasantly.

"Now, now. Calm down, William," Malfoy said, sounding bored. "Dear Maddy is already worn out."

"Well, someone's got my wand, so why all the drama with tying me up?" asked Maddy, addressing no one in particular.

Malfoy smiled. "That was my idea. I must confess to enjoying a bit of drama, myself. Makes things much more entertaining. We'll untie you soon enough. Maybe."

"William," he continued softly, "perhaps you should wait upstairs with Victoria in case Bella's hapless cousin or his friends happen to drop in? Surely you can take care of him yourself." He didn't take his eyes off Maddy.

William frowned. "Nah. He hasn't a hope of getting in here. Not after that bloody house elf of his nicked his dad's grimmoire for Bella. This place is as secure as Gringotts."

Malfoy ignored his words and turned to him.

"Do as I say," he commanded, as if he were speaking to an errant child.

Bellatrix watched them both with amusement, and looked down idly at her wand, bent like a tree branch. She scraped the tip with a long fingernail.

William opened his mouth to argue again, and a jet of green light issued from her wand before any words came out. He fell over immediately, dead.

"Oh God!" Maddy screamed.

She looked wildly over to Lucius and Bellatrix, who paid no attention to her brother's lifeless body on the dirt floor, but now regarded her speculatively. Her mind was still working quickly. Why the bloody hell had she and Sirius not mentioned these events in her vision? Had that just been some alternate universe where none of this had ever happened? Panic overtook her, and she began to hyperventilate, wrenching wildly against the bonds holding her. She wanted to feel the security of the torc that Sirius had given her for Christmas, and wished more than anything that he would show up and remove her from this nightmare.

Bellatrix laughed merrily.

"Now, now. Calm down," Malfoy repeated with a sigh. "There's no point in wasting energy."

Maddy's body sagged, relaxing slightly, but she tried her best, among the panic, to think of a creative way out of this situation.

He laughed, watching the emotions flitting across her face. "Oh, my dear, we are going to have _so_ much fun with you," he said softly. "A member of Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix for my very own. And no one will ever know what happened to you. But I'm getting ahead of myself."

"Oh, go on, tell her, Lucius. I'm sure she's dying to know," said Bellatrix with a grin.

"You think so? Very well, then. Dear little Maddy, you are to be my first ... well, _trophy_, you might say. William told me about you and your talents long ago, and how it was his wish that the Dark Lord be given full advantage of them. How philanthropic, your brother." Malfoy's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Little did he realize that the Dark Lord has no need of them; he hasn't for years. Stupid little boy, and his wife's an idiot as well. The Dark Lord was growing weary of listening to his silly pleas for acceptance. He commanded Bellatrix to do the honors here." He nodded toward William's lifeless body.

"But I digress. Anyway, I was strolling around Malfoy Manor one day .... ancient place, you know ... been around for a few centuries. And there are certain areas of the house that, well, my sweet Narcissa doesn't know about." He shrugged. "Most likely used for torture, starvation, things like that, at some point in the past. And it occurred to me. What a perfect place to house someone from the opposing side for my own ... amusement. And I have many ways of taking my pleasure. I assure you that you would never grow bored there, fulfilling my little wants and desires. And I'm thinking of my son, as well. He seems to find you diverting, though he's not fully aware of your allegiance with Dumbledore just yet. When he comes of age, I could just hand you off to him if I happened to be tired of you. Now, if _he_ loses interest, well ..." He shrugged unconcernedly. "_Then_ we would have to dispose of you."

The horror of what Malfoy was suggesting slowly sank in Maddy's brain and crowded itself in with all the other terrible events that were happening. Her shoulders ached, but she paid no attention to them as she desperately tried not to picture what he had in mind for her.

"I think I'd rather you just kill me," she said shakily, yet with a trace of defiance.

Bellatrix laughed. "Oh, such a wet blanket! He'll have you singing a different tune before long, I promise you. Once you're under the Imperius curse, you'll do anything we want, and then you'll be begging for more."

Malfoy cut in. "And once in a while, if you're very good, I'll shackle you tightly and remove the curse for a time, just so you can remember exactly what became of you _and_ contemplate whose side you should have been on. You could've been the clever Death Eater in the family, after all." He rolled his eyes slightly. "What a waste."

Maddy turned to Bellatrix. "Isn't his wife your _sister_? You actually think she'll take this lying down?"

The other witch grinned. "Oh, you don't know Cissy. I doubt she cares who he consorts with, distasteful as she might find you. But even so, the prospect of having such spoils as yourself far outweighs any moral outrage I might have on my dear sister's behalf. And we Death Eaters get to watch your humiliation whenever we want. And perhaps participate, which I'm sure some would be more than happy to do. Too bad my dear blood traitor cousin won't be around to see it. We've already decided he's getting the killing curse, as well, if he's brave enough to show his face. I'm not convinced he'll think you're worth coming after. Of course, we could let him watch just beforehand."

"That's ridiculous," Maddy bluffed, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I've never _seen_ that. I tend to be very good at this sort of thing ... visions, I mean, and I don't believe you're capable of doing any such thing to Sirius, nor myself. I'm positive we'll outlast the two of you."

She glared defiantly at them, and they were quiet for only a moment. Then Lucius grinned indulgently.

"That's the spirit, my dear. Not that I buy it for a moment, mind you. Can't blame you for trying. Now, we have one more thing to take care of." He rolled his eyes heavenward to indicate Victoria's presence upstairs. "And then, we'll be off."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The night was brightly lit by a yellow moon, perfectly round and hanging low in the sky. Sirius looked up, cursing it for the first time, and his friend's inability to help. Remus was incapacitated; holed up in his flat just now and sleeping comfortably as a wolf. Only Tonks and Moody had accompanied him tonight.

_Bloody stupid full moon, _he thought with disgust. Out of nowhere, he suddenly remembered words spoken from an old song, one he hadn't heard in years.

_Cold-hearted orb, that rules the night_

_Removes the colours from our sight_

_Red is gray, and yellow, white_

_But we decide which is right, and which is an illusion._

He snorted at the thought and shook it off, then repeated the spell that would make the house visible to them. Apparently William thought he had been very clever with this method of hiding, but the grimmoire's contents had exposed his actions, once Sirius and Remus had experimented enough with it during a visit to the ruins. Gradually as they watched, a large stone house appeared, building itself up until the last chimney stone locked into place.

Sirius wasted no time, but held his wand out. He cautiously walked up and opened the front door to the O'Hannon house very softly. Tonks and Moody followed him inside. Once in the foyer, Moody's eye swiveled around a few times, then darted left and right.

"Two bodies. It's all that's here," the retired auror declared in his characteristic blunt manner. He leaned on his staff, waiting expectantly for Sirius' response.

Tonks gasped softly, and Sirius' face went white as a ghost.

"Can you tell who they are?" he asked slowly, bracing himself.

Moody screwed up his face in contemplation, letting the eye roam around once more.

"Blond woman. Tall dark haired man. She's on this floor, but he's ... he must be in the cellar? A dark place."

Sirius felt a tiny wave of relief pass over him. "Alright, let's go on in."

Finding Victoria didn't take long at all. She was in one of the front rooms on the floor, looking for all the world as if she had just dozed off and could wake at any moment. Sirius stood over the woman, wondering who had killed her. _At least it isn't Madeleine_, he thought before moving on. _But where the hell is she?_

They continued to walk stealthily through the dark house, looking for an entrance to the cellar. Then Moody branched off toward the back of the house as Tonks followed Sirius. The scent of lavender became stronger upon entering the kitchen, and Sirius saw, from his illuminated wand, another door. In spite of Moody's ability to see through walls, he still opened it cautiously, and found a large pantry with a small window. Dried up old bunches of lavender hung from the ceiling, obviously having been there for years, undisturbed. Rodents had apparently made a meal of quite a few things in here. Their waste littered the floor, along with cartons long since gnawed to pieces.

Sirius pointed his lit wand downward in disgust, reminded of Peter Pettigrew. He wondered where _that_ rodent was. As he did, though, he saw a mixture of footprints disturbing the dust, as if several people had been through here. He pointed his light around all corners until he noticed the outline of a door in the floor, similar to one that led from the Whomping Willow tunnel into the Shrieking Shack.

Tonks came up behind him. "Find something?" she whispered.

"Yeah. I'm going to open this." Sirius looked for a way to pry the door up, but found no good way to do it.

"_Alohomora_," he said. It creaked open slowly, rising from the floor.

"Should've tried that first," he chastised himself.

Tonks patted his back reassuringly. "Let's go."

They made their way down the rickety steps and looked around. The room was rather small, with only a dirt floor and walls. Sirius made out the figure of a man, lying much the same way Victoria had been. He leaned over the body, feeling a wave of sadness. Not for this man's death, but for the resemblance to his sister. A wand lay, discarded, next to him, and Tonks picked it up.

"_Priori incantatem_," she said quickly. She wanted to get that over with, hoping to rule out a curse that might have been cast on Maddy.

Sirius watched in apprehension as the ghostly image of William apparating to some location came and went. Well, at least he hadn't tortured Madeleine. His shoulders sagged a little in relief. That still didn't explain where _she_ had gone, though, nor what could have transpired here. He stepped over the lifeless form and resumed his search for clues.

"Sirius! I just saw something," Tonks exclaimed. "Probably just a piece of glass, but ..." She pointed over to a corner of the room.

Sirius walked over to it, willing himself to detect Maddy's presence here recently. But he could tell nothing. He pointed his wand, illuminating the dirt floor, and saw something glitter in response. He knelt down and picked it up.

Tonks hurried over to him. "What is it?"

He didn't turn toward her at first, but remained in a crouching position, examining the object. Then he stood up, avoiding her eyes. Tonks looked closely at him, and in the light of the wand his eyes shone unnaturally bright. She realized he had tears in them.

"It's the ring I gave her," he finally said in a tight voice. "Her engagement ring."


	30. Searching

"Harry!" rasped a muffled voice from the two-way mirror.

Harry, who was lying in bed but fully awake, sat straight up at the sound of his godfather's voice. He scrambled out of the nest of covers, hastily sliding his glasses on, then went for his discarded jeans. Reaching into the back pocket where he had left it last, he unfolded its protective cloth and answered.

"Sirius! Did you find Maddy?"

"No," Sirius answered, shaking his head. He sounded exhausted.

"Hang on ... I'll light my wand so you can see me," Harry whispered.

He looked around the dormitory room, but Ron and the other boys were sound asleep. His wand lay on a night stand next to the bed, and he grabbed it, whispering "_Lumos._"

"Now, that's better. Are you okay, Sirius?"

Sirius shrugged but didn't answer the question. "Harry, I need your help."

"_My_ help? Well, yeah. Anything! What do you need?"

"I'd like to borrow your invisibility cloak. May I have it for a little while?"

"Absolutely. How do I get it to you, though?"

"I'm in the Shrieking Shack now. I've been trying any place I thought Mad might be. I'm at a loss, though." He sounded defeated.

"And you think the cloak will help?" Harry asked, jerking his head around in alarm as Seamus mumbled something in his sleep. He turned back to Sirius.

"I don't know, but I'm hoping it might come in handy at some point. Her brother and his wife are dead. I've no idea if she killed him, or what happened. There's no trace of her, though, other than the ring I gave her. I found _that._

"Listen, Harry, I need to be on my way quickly. Can you meet me in the Shack tonight? Or perhaps just in the tunnel leading to Honeydukes, since that'll be easier for you ... it doesn't matter. I can apparate to it and meet you there."

Harry nodded, looking at the faint green light emanating from his alarm clock. It was just after one o'clock.

"I'll take the tunnel toward Honeydukes and be looking for you."

"Thanks. Be careful, Harry."

The face disappeared from the mirror, and Harry put it down for the moment. He slid his legs into the jeans and stuffed the mirror into its previous place in the back pocket. Then he moved quickly to his trunk at the foot of the bed. Opening it, he pilfered through the contents until he found the cloak in an untidy heap shoved in its corner. He pulled it out, then closed the trunk lid and slid his feet into shoes. Then, with another glance at the sleeping boys, he stole through the door and down the stairs.

Once the portrait had swung open and he was in the hallway, Harry thought about throwing the cloak over himself. Then he decided there was no point. He had to have light, and an invisible person with a lit wand would cause much more suspicion than a visible one. He couldn't risk the valuable cloak being confiscated. He shoved it under an arm and toned down the light on his wand to a bare minimum. Padding stealthily down the stairs, he rounded a corner and stepped into a larger corridor. He spied the statue that would reveal the tunnel he needed, and increased his speed.

"Potter!" a voice hissed angrily behind him.

Harry jumped. He whirled around to see Professor Snape striding toward him with outstretched wand. _ Damn_, why hadn't he thought to pull out the Marauder's Map? He could have -

"What are you doing out of bed this time of night?" Snape growled in a low voice, interrupting his thoughts. "Are you _completely_ incapable of following any rules set before you?"

Harry gulped, trying to think of a way out of this unexpected snag. He needed to be on his way, and now.

"It's about Maddy," he said quickly, hoping that mention of someone that Snape didn't hate might soften the blow.

"Yes, I know about that," Snape answered curtly, his face a mask.

Umbridge's regrettable decision to use the _cruciatus_ curse on Maddy had made the rounds in no time throughout the castle, and the aftershocks had already begun. She was already experiencing mutiny from the staff, who all hated her beyond measure now, and most students, especially DA members, were talking amongst themselves about how to get back at the woman. Snape and McGonagall both had already sent patronuses to Dumbledore, so he would be informed, but beyond that, the potions master was feeling powerless to do anything else just now.

"Why are _you_ concerned with Professor O'Hannon?" the potions master sneered.

Harry glared at him. "I saw her being tortured and taken away. She's a friend of mine, and my godfather loves her. Why _wouldn't_ I be concerned?"

"That doesn't explain why you are out of bed, Potter."

Harry thought quickly, and decided to tell the truth.

"Sirius needs something of mine. He's desperate, trying to find out what happened to Maddy."

"Ah, so Black is encouraging your truancy. Going to meet him?"

Snape glanced sharply toward the statue where Harry had been headed.

Harry nodded reluctantly, hoping he wasn't dooming Sirius to any sort of trouble.

"What does he need? I don't see you holding anything besides your wand."

Harry reluctantly pulled out the cloak he had stuffed under his arm. "This. It used to be my dad's. I suppose Sirius remembers it."

Snape's eyes glittered in the dim light of their wands as he peered at the shimmery folds.

"Give it to me," he commanded.

"No!" Harry objected.

"What did you say?" Snape replied slowly.

"I can't! Sirius needs it. If it can help him find Maddy, I have to let him have it."

Snape watched him for a moment. "I said, give it to me. I'll see that he gets it."

"No, you won't! You're so concerned with hating him, you'd let Maddy die rather than help him out!"

Snape grabbed Harry's arm. "You know nothing, you insolent little brat. I helped save that worthless idiot's life once already, if you'll recall. I can't help O'Hannon's stupidity in even looking his way, but I would never let her die if I could help it. Now, give it to me! I will meet him myself."

Harry looked at him, stony-faced. Then he handed over the cloak with great reluctance.

"Now," Snape said with satisfaction. "Go back to your bed, immediately. Do you want to give Umbridge even more reasons to hate you?"

Harry stood, rooted to the spot. Then he slowly walked back down the hallway. When he turned once to look back, Snape was nowhere to be found.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius apparated into the Honeydukes tunnel with ease and lit his wand. He expected to find no one other than Harry, but he was on his guard, nevertheless. He padded quickly through the earthen corridor, ducking his head in a few places where the ceiling hung low or exposed roots jutted. After traveling several minutes, he thought he could make out a dark figure in front of him. His pulse quickened, and he sped up until he was almost on the person.

"Harry!" he exclaimed, then stopped short when he saw who it was.

Snape stood there instead, watching Sirius impassively.

"Black. Encouraging your godson to be as rebellious as yourself, I see?"

"What the hell have you done with Harry?" Sirius demanded.

Snape sighed loudly. "Nothing, you overgrown baby. I sent him back to bed. We need to talk, you and I, distasteful as _that_ thought is."

"What do _we _need to talk about?" Sirius growled.

"First things first. Your precious godson sent you a gift." He shoved the invisibility cloak at Sirius.

Sirius looked down at it, fingering the soft silky fabric, and was overcome with a memory of the last time he had seen James wearing it.

"Why are you bringing it?"

"Never you mind. Tell me what has happened with Maddy."

He looked at Sirius' face, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and deep set lines, made more pronounced by the dull light from their wands.

"I don't know what's happened to her. Harry -"

"Start at the beginning, then," Snape interrupted condescendingly.

"If you'll shut it, I will," Sirius retorted. "Harry contacted me this morning. Maddy had been given the _cruciatus_ curse by Umbridge. Tonks had shown up, claiming to take her off to London and the Ministry for questioning. Harry said Tonks watched the whole thing."

"Tonks?" Snape asked, musing over this. He had already heard that news through the Hogwarts grapevine, but couldn't really believe she would be involved. He hadn't had a chance to verify the information, however.

"It was someone posing as Tonks, obviously. Contacts in the Ministry were certain Maddy was never taken there. We always thought it would be Victoria, but -"

"Victoria? Oh yes, Maddy's brother's wife? The one you went out with last summer." He couldn't help getting a subtle dig in.

"Yes," Sirius replied, ignoring Snape's tone. "Maddy's mother, who had been a seer, arranged for me to get a letter over Christmastime. I've no idea how she did it. But she had _seen_ a pink-haired woman helping Maddy's brother in trying to abduct her. We assumed that someone might use polyjuice potion and pose as Tonks, being the only woman with pink hair that we know. Victoria was the likely candidate, since it was obvious by then that she would do anything to help William get to Maddy."

Snape was intrigued, though he affected his usual bored expression. "Go on."

"Moody, Tonks – the real one – and I went to Maddy's family home tonight, which is the place we assumed William might take her. He had used wards and protections identical to the ones my father had put on Grimmauld Place. I had discovered that recently. But after Maddy was taken, which we never expected to happen at Hogwarts, we went there looking for her. Victoria and William were both dead, from the killing curse. No one else was there ... the place was empty. We found a hidden cellar, though, which was where William's body was lying. And Maddy's ring."

"Ring?" Snape had noticed a beautiful ring on her hand once, recently, but had never asked her about it.

"We're to be married. I had given her an engagement ring. It was on the floor of the cellar." Sirius spoke flatly, but Snape knew he was anxious and worried.

He stared at Sirius for a moment. A few things about what Black had told him stood out in his mind.

"So it must have been Death Eaters. Or perhaps Maddy killed the two people," mused Snape.

"Well, I assume it was Death Eaters. I'm hoping she left the ring behind as a message to me. I know she would kill them if she had to, but my gut tells me it was something else."

Snape pondered this. "Black," he said slowly. "Let me make a few contacts. I have an idea about her."

"Well, don't keep it to yourself, Sn- Snape!" Sirius snapped back. He bit his tongue to keep from saying _Snivellus_. He couldn't afford to offend the nasty wizard if the man might be able to help him.

Snape, fortunately, was preoccupied with his own ruminations at the moment. "No, I believe I'll make sure my theory holds water first. We don't want _you_ going off half-cocked and making things worse if it turns out to be nothing."

Sirius clenched his fists in exasperation. Damn the worthless man, making him wait!

"As soon as possible, I will send you a message and let you know my findings, either way. It may be tomorrow, though." The tiny suspicion Snape harbored was blossoming rapidly, but he didn't want to jump the gun and get himself nor anyone else in trouble.

"Please do," Sirius answered shortly, but Snape caught the desperation audible in his voice.

The potions master whirled around without another word and headed back quickly through the tunnel, leaving Sirius behind.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

An hour later, Severus lay in his own bed, thinking about things. Well, Maddy, first of all. He had always been fond of her, though he didn't like to think about _why_. There was something about Maddy that lodged itself in a tiny soft spot in Snape's heart. The one that Lily occupied. The two women were so much alike that sometimes Severus thought they could be sisters ... not that horsey-faced muggle Petunia. Maddy was kind and witty, just as Lily had been. Yet just as stupid where men were concerned.

What was it about women like her, seemingly intelligent, who fell for idiots like Black and James Potter? It was the one bitter question that Snape couldn't stop asking himself whenever he thought of Lily. Why on earth would she choose someone so lunk-headed and arrogant for a mate? And Maddy was no different. Severus felt an irrational stab of anger at the two women, one dead and one missing.

Then guilt took its place. He knew the affection he felt for Maddy was strictly platonic. No one could ever take Lily's place in his heart, after all. Much as it might be satisfying to see Black wallowing around, heartbroken, Snape wouldn't let Maddy die if he could help it. He knew exactly how _that_ felt. He carried it with him every day, especially whenever he saw Lily's snot-nosed son. He would do whatever it took to help get Maddy back, but it would be purely in tribute to Lily's memory. _Not_ to help Black.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"How's your father, Draco?" Snape asked in passing the next morning.

Draco was ambling down the hallway on his way to classes, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, as usual. He stopped when Snape addressed him.

"Couldn't be better, professor," Draco replied cheerfully.

Goyle snorted, and Draco shot him a look.

"Something amusing, Goyle?" Snape asked laconically, raising his eyebrow.

Goyle shrugged and shook his head.

"Well, I'm glad to hear Lucius is doing well. We haven't spoken in quite some time. Has he been busy?" He raised his eyebrows.

Draco paused, then couldn't help forging ahead.

"Oh, yeah. He has a new toy to keep himself occupied, I believe. Something to tinker with when Mother's not around, he says," Draco replied smugly.

"And what does your mother think about that?" Snape asked, smiling.

"I'm not sure she knows. But she couldn't care less what Father does. He says I'm to have it in a few years, if I'd like."

Snape went slightly paler than usual, though his expression didn't change. He had seen Draco staring lustfully at Maddy before.

"And what is this toy?"

Draco shrugged, though he had a knowing glint in his eye. "He hasn't told me yet," he said innocently. "Just that I would be very pleased with it, if it's not worn out once he's done with it. And as long as I keep my marks up."

"Lovely. Draco, would you care to stay after potions this morning? I have a little project for you. It might assist you in achieving your goal of higher marks."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Later that morning, Snape hurried down the corridor to his office, satisfied with himself, yet extremely concerned for Maddy. He needed to speak to Black immediately. A group of students were walking his way, and he noticed Harry among them.

"Professor!" Harry called after him.

Snape ignored him and continued walking.

"Professor!" came the voice once more. Then Harry was beside him, out of breath. "I need to speak to you!"

"Save it, Potter. Can't you see I'm in a hurry?" Snape snarled. The boy was the last person he wanted to see, after thinking of Lily early this morning.

"What happened last night?" Harry insisted, still walking with him.

Snape stopped abruptly. "Can you keep that infernal mouth shut?" he hissed. "What happened was none of your business."

"Oh, yes it is!"

"We'll talk later. I passed along the object in question. That is all you need to know." He glanced around furtively, but no one was paying attention to their conversation.

He began to walk again, and realized that Harry wasn't following him now. He whipped around quickly to see the boy watching him.

"We'll talk later, I said. Perhaps during your remedial potions lesson," Snape repeated. Then he turned back and continued down the hallway.

Once in his office, Snape closed the door tightly and cast a spell to lock it. He threw out another one to expose anyone that might be hiding in there, though he felt silly doing so. Stupid Umbridge had rendered him completely paranoid. Once he was satisfied he was alone, Snape formed his patronus, using the one memory that made him happier than any other. Then he spoke quietly.

"Black, send a patronus back when you are alone. As soon as possible."

He sent the argent doe away to deliver the message, and waited for a response.

Not even a minute later, a large silvery dog stood in his office. "I'm alone," were the only words.

Snape reformed his patronus and began to speak rapidly.

"Black, I have information for you. Lucius Malfoy took Maddy. He wants to -" he paused, unsure of how to word this. "He wants to use her. For his, um, pleasure. I wouldn't put it past him to kill her easily, though, if she angers him. He took her to Malfoy Manor, though I have no idea where he is keeping her there. His son knows about it, but he has never seen whatever chamber she is in. So I cannot help you there. I would advise you to be extremely careful. Malfoy will have the highest protection possible on his home. You could be killed easily. Do not contact the son. I have extracted all the information he knows, and he has already ... forgotten our conversation. Send a patronus back to me in less than five minutes so I will know you understand what is going on. I cannot help you by going there myself. I hope you are capable of understanding why."

He thought briefly about his words, and then, confident that he had said enough, waved his wand, sending the doe back to Sirius.

A few minutes passed this time, and then the silver dog was before him once more.

"Thank you, Severus," the voice said softly. Then the dog disappeared.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry stood in the Gryffindor common room, fuming at Snape's cold dismissal. As if Harry had no right to know what had happened with Sirius! He was sick to death of the teacher's condescending air, treating him like a three year old. Then a thought struck him. Why not get the information he wanted from another source? He ran upstairs to his dormitory, hoping it would be empty. But Dean Thomas was in there, pilfering through his trunk for a textbook.

"Hiya, Harry. Can't find my damned Defense book, and Umbridge'll ream me if she finds out. Have you seen it?"

"No," Harry said quickly. "Sorry, Dean."

He turned around and pounded back down the steps, leaving Dean to look curiously after him.

Some students were still hanging out in the common room, waiting until the last minute to go to Defense class. Nobody wanted to look at Umbridge, much less listen to her drone on for an hour, especially now that they knew what she had done to Maddy. Harry walked briskly past them and out the portrait picture. The bathrooms might be empty. He hurried in there and looked past the urinals to several stalls.

"Anyone here?" he called.

Hearing no answer, he looked under each stall. Empty.

He pulled out the mirror once more and uncovered it.

"Sirius! Can you hear me?" he said in a low voice.

He heard the usual sound of rustling as Sirius pulled out his own mirror.

"Yeah, Harry?"

Sirius sounded even more distracted this time.

"Any luck? Did you get the cloak?" Harry didn't trust Snape's word for a minute.

"Yes, and I spoke with Snape."

"Any ideas on Maddy today?"

Sirius paused. "Yeah. Still trying to work out details, though. I'm at Headquarters now, talking to Moody, Tonks ... and Elphias Doge is here." He looked around.

"Where is she, Sirius?"

"Hang on a minute." There was a very strange sound, and then Sirius's face was in front of him again. "I thought Kreacher was around, so I apparated. I don't want that little shit hearing anything. Mad has been taken by Lucius Malfoy."

"What?! Where?"

"His home," Sirius answered, and he sounded exhausted. "We're trying to figure out how to get in so that we don't get killed by his damned protective spells. Coming up with nothing, so far."

"Why on earth does Malfoy want Maddy?" Harry asked, mystified. "For ransom, or something?"

"Harry, I'm ... trying not to think about that. Just how to get her out."

Harry realized what Sirius meant. Hatred of Lucius Malfoy, with that oily smile he always wore, welled up in him, and he groaned bitterly.

"Oh God, Sirius. I'm so sorry. That disgusting piece of shit."

Sirius was silent for a minute.

"Harry, I have to go." Sirius looked strained, though not quite defeated. "We've got to figure something out, and quickly."

"Alright," Harry said. "Keep me posted, though, okay?"

His godfather nodded absently, and the mirror was empty again.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Harry thought of Lucius Malfoy as he walked by himself to Defense class. He recalled how horribly Malfoy had treated Dobby, their former house elf, before Harry had managed to trick the man into freeing him. Dear Merlin, would Malfoy be that abusive to Maddy? But Harry already knew the answer to that question. He didn't want to think about what might happen to Maddy if Malfoy held her captive.

He slid into a seat next to Ron, giving him a sidelong look. Umbridge was already standing at the front of the class, watching Harry with a cold eye. He returned the look in spades and steeled himself for another boring hour of learning absolutely nothing useful.

The sound of Umbridge's voice continued as nauseam throughout the period, though she didn't bother trying play nice with the students now. But as Harry sat, lost in thought, he couldn't get Maddy and Malfoy out of his mind. He glanced over at Draco once to see the blond boy doodling on a sheet of parchment. Bitter loathing overtook him.

_He'll be just like his stupid father, _Harry thought.

Draco sensed that he was being watched, and looked up at Harry with a sneer. The pair exchanged a few venomous glances before finally looking back at their textbooks, which Umbridge read aloud from.

Harry's mind wandered again, and he tried not to think of the things Lucius Malfoy might be doing to Maddy, if he hadn't killed her already. He remembered the _cruciatus_ curse well from the previous day, and Maddy's screams. He doubted he would ever forget_ that._ Another surge of hatred overtook him, this time directed at the toadlike woman in front of the class. Hopelessness joined it, and he sighed to himself. Harry knew Cornelius Fudge would never believe anyone at Hogwarts if they tried to tell him what Umbridge had done. And he could tell a difference already in the way the headmistress carried herself, as if she were confident her actions had been justified, and had the authority to mete out more of the same as needed.

Harry wondered where Dumbledore was, and how he could have just left Hogwarts to be run into the ground by Umbridge and the Ministry. Then he felt guilty. He tended to think of the man as omnipotent, and capable of fixing anything. If the headmaster hadn't left, the Ministry would have arrested him, after all. Harry was grateful nothing worse had happened to any of the students. Thank _Merlin_ Dobby had appeared to warn them about Umbridge the other night, just in time.

Poor Dobby, who had been roundly abused by the Malfoy family for years, and still didn't fit in with other house elves. Harry's thoughts veered in his direction. Though the elf was sometimes misguided in his attempts to help, he had been a great friend to Harry. The boy recalled Dobby telling him how brutally he had been punished while a servant of the Malfoys.

Then a tiny thought settled in Harry's mind. As he sat there, thinking about Dobby, it took root. Maybe Dobby could help! He became excited, thinking about the possibilities. Dobby probably knew Malfoy Manor backward and forward. He could apparate into places wizards couldn't. Harry looked up sharply at Umbridge, then at his watch. Fifteen minutes left.

As soon as the period was over, Harry sprinted out of his chair, waving a quick goodbye to Ron and Hermione. He slung his backpack over one shoulder and hurried down the hallway.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Sirius!" Harry said into the mirror, thirty minutes later. His voice echoed throughout the empty bathroom. He waited anxiously for a return greeting.

After a few moments Sirius's face appeared. "Yeah?" He sounded dejected.

"I think I can help you out."

Sirius gave him a faint smile. "Thank you, Harry, but I don't believe you can. I don't want you going anywhere near Lucius Malfoy."

"I don't have to," Harry said anxiously. "His ex-house elf, Dobby, is here at Hogwarts! He knows every inch of the Malfoy house. He can help you get in!"

"What?! You're sure?" Sirius's grey eyes widened and he sounded excited for the first time.

Huge green eyes and a long, pencil-thin nose replaced Harry's image in the mirror.

"Oh yes, Mr. Sirius! Dobby is more than happy to help any friends of Harry Potter!" The house elf's voice squeaked with enthusiasm.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next day, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy strolled through Diagon Alley, out to lunch for the afternoon. They were headed toward their usual establishment in a small close next to Knockturn Alley. It was a cafe known as Chimaera, where the entire wait staff knew their needs intimately and were only too happy to fawn over them. As they walked toward it, Lucius pretended to only just notice the presence of Ollivander's Wand Shop.

"Let's stop in here," he suggested.

He began to notice a prickly sensation in his genitals, though it wasn't remotely pleasurable. He paused and tried to shift his position.

"Now? I'm starving!" Narcissa retorted.

"I need to ... see about a new wand, Cissa," Lucius said evasively. "Mine has been acting up lately. I've a mind to demand my money back from that old codger in there or force him to exchange them."

The prickling resumed, and he bit his lip, trying not to scratch himself. His wife looked quizzically at him.

"Where _is_ your wand, anyway? You never said what happened to it. Are you sure you're all right? And when are you going to tell me how you got that bruise on your face?"

Malfoy bristled in annoyance. "_Enough_ with the questions, my dear," he said tersely, rubbing the affected area on his cheek gingerly. He had forgotten about that. "I've merely misplaced the damned thing. I'd like another, though." He chose to ignore her other comments.

They walked up to the storefront, and Malfoy flinched visibly. Narcissa narrowed her eyes at him, but she said nothing more.

He opened the door to Ollivander's, grimacing as his right arm gave way slightly. The sound of a bell tinkled to announce their presence. His wife looked sharply at him once more and opened her mouth.

"I – am – _fine_," Lucius said through gritted teeth.

She rolled her eyes and pursed her lips in a thin line. They walked in.

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy! Pleasure to see you both," said Ollivander, who smiled at them a bit stiffly.

Lucius walked over to the counter, where piles of wand boxes sat haphazardly perched upon each other, and gripped it, holding on tightly for support.

"I am in need of a new wand," he rasped. He began to wheeze in pain.

"Oh, of course – Mr. Malfoy! Are you unwell?" The elderly wandmaker looked at him with concern.

Lucius doubled over, groaning, and grabbed his crotch. It was burning like hellfire now. Narcissa knelt down beside him, her tiny purse swinging on her arm as she tried to keep her husband from falling over. Lucius looked at her and managed to eke out a few words. His face was turning a vibrant shade of puce.

"I – need – St. Mungo's," he whispered.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy was rapidly losing patience as she paced back and forth. The gloomy underground chamber where she was being kept reminded her uncannily of the one in her family's home. This one had no door,however, unless one knew the verbal spell to make it appear. Malfoy had whispered the damned word so softly that she couldn't hear it, before slinking out of there like a snake after she had staged her surprise attack on him. Maddy knew he would be back sooner or later, though, despite his current lack of wand. Then she would be dead. She had to figure a way out of this room, and soon. She had already engaged in a few desperate attempts to apparate out of there, but nothing had happened.

Despite feeling extremely weak from lack of food and fitful sleep, Maddy's spirits were boosted as high as they had been before finding herself on the wrong end of Umbridge's wand the previous morning. She recalled with relish her encounter that morning with that wanker Lucius Malfoy. If things went as she expected, he should be experiencing some intense pain in his nether regions right about now. She laughed heartily at the memory. Then she glanced at the small pile of ash which sat over in another corner as a testament to Malfoy's deceased wand. _I'd love to know what he's telling his hag of a wife now_, she thought evilly.

An image of Sirius appeared in her mind, and her spirits plummeted. Maddy forced herself to think about events from earlier this morning, hoping like hell what Malfoy said hadn't been true.

_Your lover is dead_, Malfoy had declared triumphantly. _I killed him myself_, he bragged.

_Really?_ Maddy had answered, her arms still tightly bound. _Let's see it. Show me your prior incantato, you fucking prick._

_Malfoy wouldn't do it. She began to taunt him, telling him what a worthless liar he was. Sirius wasn't dead; she could see that. Then, in a swirling torrent, she began to see other things. Malfoy's family torn apart by Voldemort's plans. He was going to prison, Maddy told him, amazed at her own latent abilities. She really could _see_ this. She wondered if the power was borne of rage and despair._

"_Voldemort will disown you and your worthless wife. He's going to make your idiot son try and kill Dumbledore, but he won't succeed. You'll be nothing to your stupid Death Eater friends. Then the thing Voldemort fears most will happen ... he will die. Harry Potter will be the man who lives." _

_The words spilled out of her mouth involuntarily, but they were interrupted by the swift crack of his fist against her face. Maddy saw stars, but fortunately she wasn't knocked unconscious. Malfoy shook with rage now, and pointed his wand at her._

"_Shut up, you little whore. _Dishabillus_," he sneered, and she felt her clothing leave her._

_ The silver torc was all that remained, and Malfoy fingered it insolently, then moved his hand down to fondle a breast. The room was cold, and Maddy shivered. He laughed._

_She panicked, trying to knee him in the groin, but he danced just out of reach. _

"_Can't you fight me like a man, you stupid piece of shit?" she shouted at him, her voice hoarse. Her cheek still ached from the blow he had inflicted. "You're so weak you have to tie people up first?" _

_He gazed intently at her, and she noticed for the first time that he had grey eyes like Sirius. But where Sirius's were alive and frequently shone with humor, Malfoy's eyes, by contrast, seemed cold and dead. _

_He contemplated her request. "You know, I believe you're right about one thing. I think playing with you will be far more enjoyable if you're trying your best to run away from me." _

_He pointed the wand at her arms, and immediately they were set free. Maddy slumped to the floor and tried to move them. They felt like two dead weights. Malfoy laughed again, and shot a hex at her. She cried out in pain and tried to get up. But every time she did, she was hit by another, and they gradually grew in intensity. Her arms began to tingle at the same time as feeling slowly and ploddingly returned to them, but they seemed useless to protect her. She was weakening more and more with each hex._

"_Can't fight back, little Maddy?" Malfoy taunted, enjoying himself thoroughly now. He began to remove his own clothes, in between hexing her repeatedly. Finally he was naked, and completely aroused. _

"_What do you think now?" he asked softly. _

_Maddy grabbed the torc around her neck and took it off with shaky hands. Holding it in front of her, she looked up from the floor at him._

"_I think ... you call that a penis?" Maddy said, and she began to laugh wildly at him. "That is one tiny little dick! How'd you ever manage to get your wife pregnant? Somebody with a real cock do it?" She feigned laughter even harder now, while managing to look incredulous at the size of his member._

_It didn't exactly have the desired effect. Malfoy's ardor decreased somewhat, but his ire rose considerably. He pointed the wand at her. She grinned and beat him to the punch. _

"_Expelliarmus!" she yelled. _

_At first Malfoy snorted. Then he heard the sound of his wand clattering across the room. He whirled around, not sure what had happened. Then he turned to look back at Maddy, who was pointing her own wand right at his heart. Then she changed her mind. Pointing the instrument at his wand instead, she said softly, "_go ndóimid_." It was a spell she remembered out of nowhere. Her Irish mother must have used it once._

_A flame sprouted up from the wand, and it began to incinerate as Malfoy watched in horror. He turned slowly to Maddy, who pointed her wand back at him._

"_Never underestimate your opponent, Mr. Malfoy. Can you can guess what happens next?"_

_She threw a hex toward his face in retaliation for his hit to her cheek, and a deep red welt arose immediately. He gasped in pain and began inching backward. Another hex hit him, though she misfired. She had aimed for his chest, but with her shaky hand, hit his right arm by accident. _

"_I think one more is in order," she said with satisfaction. Malfoy was walking backwards, trying desperately to make his way for the door, but Maddy was too quick. Pointing her wand at his nether region, which had gone completely soft by now, she uttered another curse in the same language, buoyed by her earlier success._

_Nothing happened. Malfoy snorted once more. "You missed," he said, though a bit shakily._

_A tiny smile appeared on Maddy's face. "No, I didn't."_

_He muttered something which made the door appear, and was out before she could stop him. She stumbled after him, but the door dissolved too quickly after his exit. _

Maddy was jolted back to the present by the sudden appearance of the door again, almost as if she had conjured it by thinking about it. Her heart sped up, and she quickly aimed her wand at it as it opened slowly.

A house elf poked his head in, looking around. "Here she is!" he pronounced joyfully upon seeing her.

Maddy blinked at him in confusion. He looked exactly like Dobby, who was a house elf at Hogwarts. He was followed by a man gripping a wand tightly in his hand. Her face paled when she saw who it was. Lucius Malfoy.

She breathed in deeply and trained the wand on him. "I told myself if you came back, I'd kill you this time." Her voice trembled at the threat of performing the killing curse, but after everything that had happened between them, she was more than willing to do it.

Malfoy's eyes opened wide as he took her lack of clothing in. She noticed the welt on his cheek was gone and he appeared perfectly healthy. She cursed silently. Her spell must not have worked after all.

"Wait! It's me, Madeleine!" he exclaimed.

"I fucking know it's you, you disgusting piece of vermin! You're going to die!" she cried out.

But something about his voice made her pause. He sounded for all the world like Lucius Malfoy, but the inflection in his voice was completely different. It reminded her of Sirius.

As if he read her mind, he said urgently, "I'm not Malfoy. I'm Sirius. See?" He held up the cord with the bone symbol on it, which Maddy hadn't noticed before. Something else had been looped through it, as well. Her engagement ring.

"I found this at your family's house after you left. Did you leave it for me?"

Maddy began to shake. After everything that had happened, she was too afraid to believe him. "I was cold. It must have come off. I couldn't move my arms," she said softly.

"This is Mister Sirius, Dobby promises, miss!" squeaked the house elf. "Sir used polyjuice potion to get into the house. Sir had to pretend to be Mas- Malfoy," the elf corrected himself. "If Dobby was alone, he could have apparated straight in here. But Sir insisted on coming with me. Dobby was forced to -"

"Enough, Dobby. I'll finish explaining to her later."

Maddy looked doubtfully at both of them, and shivered involuntarily.

"Mad, darling, take my coat. You must be freezing. I can tell you anything you want to know. Just listen to me. You don't have to put the wand down. The first time we ever met? My parents' house. We were children."

He spoke rapidly as he took his jacket off and laid it on the floor in front of Maddy. She ignored it, but kept the wand pointed at him.

"You visited me in Azkaban. You protected me from dementors and almost died doing it. You came to stay with me in London and we fell in love there. I thought about you all the time. I finally decided I was being stupid by not asking you out, so I did. I was falling in love with you that morning we went to the ocean together. You held me close to apparate, and I didn't want to let go. Should I go on?"

Maddy shook more violently now. Sirius walked over to her and touched her face. Then he looked closely at the mark left by Malfoy's hit to her cheek.

"No! Don't touch me!" she cried.

It was too much to hope for that Sirius was actually standing in front of her, but she couldn't stand to look at Malfoy's image.

His face softened, and he let go. "I'm so sorry, love. This will wear off soon, I promise. And I'll look like myself again."

"I rendered him ... indisposed, I think," Maddy said faintly. She didn't bother explaining who _he_ was. "I don't know where he is. I thought he would come back with a wand and try to kill me."

"Dobby said he has some lunch date with his wife once a week, like clockwork. I wouldn't care if he _was_ here, though," Sirius said. "But I'll deal with him later."

"Just get me out of here."

"Of course. I think we can't apparate, though. We'll have to leave out the door."

"No! Dobby can help, sir and miss! Dobby can apparate us all out of here."

Sirius frowned. "I thought you said we couldn't do that! It had to be Malfoy's face and voice to get in the house."

"Yes, sir, to get in. Not to get out, though! Dobby will take you back to Hogwarts!"

Sirius shook his head. "No, we're not about to go there. How about our home, for now?" he suggested gently, looking at Maddy again. "It's protected. No one will bother us, I promise. Can you stand to apparate with me and Dobby?"

Maddy nodded slowly. After rush after rush of adrenaline over the past few days, she was absolutely exhausted. She felt like crying, but she wouldn't allow herself the luxury just now.

"Turn around. You don't have to look at me, but I'll need to hold you." Sirius waited patiently.

Maddy stood still for a moment, thinking. Then, after another glance at him and Dobby, who smiled reassuringly at her, she turned around, facing away from him. She closed her eyes, telling herself it was Sirius's hands holding her tightly around her waist. Dobby put a hand on Sirius's back, and snapped his fingers. With a loud _crack_, they were off.

_A/N: Sorry about any chapter updates you may have received with no (or wrong) chapter attached. After uploading this chapter to doc manager, I made a few changes (should've known better than to do that!). When I went to save it, a note said it was down "for a few minutes" ... on Saturday. So I took a chance and posted what I'd written, thinking it was done anyway. But I'd forgotten I had put in a few notes to self at the end which I needed to remove. Figures. So I had to delete it. My apologies for any confusion, and thanks for reading!_


	31. You Must Allow Me to Tell You

Sirius glanced in the nearest mirror for verification that he was himself once more. Then he sank down on the bed next to Maddy and brushed her dull, stringy hair gently with a few fingers.

"I hope this is an improvement," he said. He smiled crookedly.

"You don't know how much," Maddy muttered. She was still naked under Sirius's jacket and a blanket which he had put over her.

"Do you mind me touching you?"

"It feels good. God, I smell horrible."

"No, you don't," he lied. "Would you like a hot bath, though? Some tea?"

"Yeah, that would be lovely," she replied woodenly.

There were several things she wanted to say to Sirius, but she had no idea where to begin. Maybe it was better to stop trying to find the words, and hope they would come on their own eventually. At this point, she only felt numb.

He brushed Maddy's face with his hand, then stood up and headed into the bathroom. Soon she heard the sound of running water. She lifted her head briefly off the pillow, then sank back into it again.

Sirius came into view once more. "I'll just get your tea, all right? Go ahead and climb in the tub, if you like."

Maddy nodded, feeling exhausted and bone-weary. When Sirius had left the room, bound for the kitchen, she slid off the mattress. She removed his coat, grimacing at her sore arms, then walked stiffly into the bathroom and over to the steaming tub. Once it had filled up enough, she turned the tap off and gingerly tested the water with a toe. It was the perfect temperature, so she eased herself in.

Suddenly her back was on fire, and she jumped back up, gasping. Sirius walked back in at that moment.

"What's wrong, Mad?" he asked, walking quickly over to her.

She hastily sank back down into the water, clenching her teeth. "Nothing. Water's a bit too hot, that's all."

Sirius frowned, but didn't ask any more questions. Maddy soaked for a few minutes, wishing she could just submerge herself completely for several minutes to remove every bit of filth from her body.

"What now?" she finally asked.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked gently. He knelt down beside the bathtub.

She shrugged. "I suppose Umbridge thinks the Ministry took me. Am I wanted or something?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Well, I believe they want to speak to both of us ... something about subversive activities."

He shot her a wry grin, but then sobered when he saw her stricken expression.

"But Kingsley volunteered to be in charge of that, so I'm not especially worried," he added. "We're fine here for the moment, but soon as you feel up to it, I'm going to take you away for a while."

Maddy rested her head against the back of the tub. "All this over a stupid _class._ Is Harry okay? I wouldn't put it past Umbridge to hurt him."

"So far as I know. I hear she has enough problems from the other students now to keep her little mind occupied. The Weasley twins, for example. Dobby said they set off a particularly nasty little burst of fireworks." He chuckled. "Needless to say, the other teachers aren't helping her keep order, either. Not after what happened to you and Albus."

Maddy was silent now, and stared at the wall.

"Would you like me to leave?" Sirius asked.

His voice was soft, but Maddy thought there was something else in his tone. She couldn't tell what, though.

"What? Why?" she asked, alarmed.

"I just thought you might like to be alone for a bit."

"I do _not_ want to be alone," Maddy said adamantly. "I want you here. I mean, unless you have things you need to do."

She was growing weary of the stilted conversation, but she wasn't sure how to move past it. Neither was Sirius, apparently.

He said quickly, "Of course I'll stay with you. Will you let me wash your hair?"

She softened a bit, and nodded. "Yeah. I'd like that."

She slid deeper into the tub to wet her hair, then scooted back up again into a sitting position. Sirius rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the shampoo bottle, pouring a small amount in his hand before rubbing it into her hair.

Maddy closed her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the sensation. Strong hands caressed her with surprising gentleness as he massaged her scalp and temples, before moving to her neck. He was careful not to use too much force, but kneaded the tense muscles in her neck and shoulders firmly. She sighed and managed to relax, her problems fading away with each stroke of his hand against her skin. She felt him turn her head to examine the mark made by Malfoy on her cheek. He touched it lightly, but in her semi-conscious state, she barely noticed.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy awoke with a start, realizing that she had dozed off. She looked up to see Sirius smiling at her.

"Ready to rinse?" he asked.

She nodded. Despite all the anguish she had suffered over the past few days, she felt heavenly at the moment. Maddy knew that she would have to tell Sirius everything soon, however, and she dreaded doing so. But keeping those events bottled up in her mind would only make them worse, and he deserved to hear what had happened. For now, she desired only to be cared for. She slid down once more into the tub, submerging her hair to rinse the shampoo out. Sirius reached down to help when it became obvious her arms were too sore for her to cleanse herself. He scrubbed away the foam, then helped her sit back up.

"You should have been a nurse, or a healer," Maddy said, smiling faintly at him. "Have I said that before?"

Sirius kissed her on the forehead. "I'll do this any time you want," he murmured against her skin.

"Well, that would be pretty much every time." Maddy said. She could feel her mood gradually improving.

"Need help bathing?" Sirius asked. He leaned back on his heels.

Maddy shook her head. "I think I can manage. I'll be quick about it."

"Take your time, darling."

She thought he seemed hesitant. Perhaps he dreaded hearing the details of her abduction as much as as she was afraid to relay them. She nodded gratefully, though. Sirius stood up and, after promising dinner soon, walked out of the bathroom. She was alone once more. Sighing deeply, she rested a few more minutes in the steaming water before taking the soap to cleanse herself. It felt good, doing this, as if she were removing the stench of Malfoy and Bellatrix, and even William and Victoria. She pushed their faces out of her mind and concentrated on what she was doing. She wasn't prepared to think about her brother just yet.

Once she had finished, Maddy got out, wrapping the towel around herself tightly. She brushed her wet hair until her arms ached too much to continue. Then she walked back into the bedroom, where Sirius had placed a fluffy robe on the bed. She didn't bother with clothing, but finished toweling off and shrugged the robe on. Then she padded down the staircase to the kitchen, where she spied him finishing up dinner.

"I'll have some of _that,_" Maddy said upon entering the room. She pointed to an open bottle of wine.

Sirius smiled. "I anticipated that you would."

He handed her a glass which he had already poured.

"This smells wonderful," she breathed. Maddy looked longingly at the spread before her. Her growling stomach echoed the sentiment, and Sirius laughed.

"Thank you. I can't take credit for it, though. Dobby sent it from Hogwarts. I only heated it up."

He placed a large plate, filled with roast beef au jus, and vegetables, at a small table in the kitchen, then he joined Maddy in sitting there. A huge slice of bread was perched on the edge of her plate, and Maddy bit into it hungrily before tucking into the rest. In a matter of minutes, she had cleaned her plate and refilled her wine glass twice. By then, a pleasant numbness had begun to trickle through her body.

"More?" Sirius asked, still in the middle of his meal.

He started to rise and take her plate, but she shook her head.

"Not right now, thanks. Later, perhaps."

"Well, he sent a nice pudding for afters, so you'll have to try some of it."

She sat, sipping wine, while Sirius finished up. Then he pushed his chair back, stretching.

"Ready for some sticky toffee pudding?"

Maddy yawned. "Actually, I think I'm done for, tonight. I'm not sure I could stay awake long enough to eat it."

He looked away for a moment, then turned back, almost shyly.

"Do you mind if I stay with you?"

Maddy stared at him. "You never have to ask me that. Come with me."

She took his hand and let him lead her up the stairs.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Before long, they had slid under the covers and put the light out. Sirius put an arm over Maddy's waist, resting his head against her neck, but she lay staring at the ceiling and didn't look at him.

"Sirius, we need to talk about all this, and just get it over with."

Maddy's voice was soft in the darkness, and the only noise in the room, other than crackling flames in the fireplace. Sirius tightened an arm around her waist in response.

"Mad, do you think you can stand it?" he whispered.

"I don't know. But I have to tell you."

His fingers threaded through her hair, and he placed a gentle kiss against her lips. He drew away only slightly, so that she could feel the warmth of his own lips still close to hers. She suddenly wanted more, badly, but she broke away from him with reluctance.

"I don't know where to start, Sirius."

"All right. Harry told me _Umbridge_ – " he said the word with extreme distaste, "used the _cruciatus_ on you."

He couldn't bring himself to mention the details.

"Yeah. I'd been called into her office by Filch. I was getting dressed and noticed a note from Albus on the bed, telling me to leave."

"Why didn't you?" He didn't intend to sound accusatory, but the words spilled out that way before he could check himself.

She felt angry, suddenly. "I don't know! I couldn't imagine I was really in that much trouble, and I figured the worst she might do was make me leave Hogwarts. I didn't mind that, anyway. And I wanted to find out what happened to Albus."

"All right. Go on."

"I sent you a patronus. Then Filch escorted me to her office. Harry was in there."

Maddy went on to describe Umbridge's questioning of her relationship with Sirius, and the student who had exposed them and the DA group.

"Then someone knocked on the door. Tonks came in, and I thought for sure she would keep Umbridge from doing anything to me. With everything going on, I'd totally forgotten about the letter you got from Mum. But then 'Tonks' had me bound to the chair, and Umbridge told Harry this was part of his punishment. To see what happened to people who crossed her. She – "

Maddy broke off. She couldn't bring herself to describe what the _cruciatus_ felt like. Maybe it was akin to being stabbed with a thousand knives, all at once. Only worse.

"Mad, I know what it feels like. It's been done to me, as well."

This startled her. "When?"

"After I was arrested. I'll tell you about that another time, though. Go on, darling."

Maddy's hands clutched Sirius tighter. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that. Anyway, it seemed to go on forever. I wanted to pass out, but I couldn't. Finally, she stopped. She let me loose to get out of the chair, but I was so weak, I couldn't reach for the necklace before she bound my hands together. She practically dragged me out the door and through the hallways. I remember seeing glimpses of some students watching. They were horrified.

"After we left the grounds, she forced me to apparate with her. The only thing I could think was that Tonks was taking me to the Ministry, and maybe we had always been wrong about her. I went unconscious then ... don't know if she knocked me out somehow, or whether it was everything else. When I came to, it was dark and I couldn't tell where I was."

Maddy continued to describe the details of her abduction in a flat voice; how Bellatrix had confessed to portraying Tonks, and then the appearance of Lucius Malfoy and William O'Hannon. Sirius listened in silence, though she sensed he was distressed by her words.

"William told me he killed our mother, and Dad took the blame for it. He was so calm when he said it. The room I was in ... Dad built it." Tears flowed down her cheeks now. "My _brother_ killed our mum. What kind of person ... ?"

Sirius pulled Maddy close and held her tightly. When the tears had stemmed somewhat, she took a deep, shaky breath and continued.

"Malfoy told William to go upstairs. He didn't want to. He mentioned Kreacher, and the grimmoire that Bellatrix had taken. So Bellatrix killed him outright. Malfoy said Voldemort had told her to do it. Then he told me _he_ wanted a trophy. Someone to keep captive for his ... amusement. He said his wife would never know. He would _imperius_ me and make me do ... things."

Sirius's face was a mask in the dim flickering light, but his grip on her tightened reflexively. Maddy went on with her story.

"They killed Victoria, as well. Then they knocked me out again, to get me to Malfoy's house, I guess. I was bound once more, and they left me alone for a while. Every so often I could hear people walking around upstairs, and, later, the sound of a woman's voice that I didn't recognize. I yelled a few times, but he must have used a silencing spell on the room. Nothing happened. I smelled food. I was so hungry, but no one brought me any. Then, after a long time, the door appeared. Bellatrix came in."

She was silent for a long time, and Sirius leaned closer to see if she had fallen asleep. But she sniffled slightly, and he pulled her closer when he realized she was crying again.

"It's all right now, darling. You're safe with me," he whispered.

He brushed his lips against her cheek and tasted salty wetness.

"You don't have to keep going. Why don't you sleep for a while?"

She shook her head and sniffed again. "No. I have to tell you this, and be done with it.

"Anyway, she came in alone. I don't know where Malfoy was. Probably with his wife or something. She laughed at me, with my arms all bound up tightly. I had clothes on at the time, but they were filthy. I'd not been allowed to use the loo, and I smelt of urine."

"When did Malfoy show up?" Sirius wanted to get that out of the way, quickly.

Maddy shifted a little in the bed. "Not until the next morning ... same day you came. Dunno if his wife kept him occupied, or what. I didn't see Bellatrix anymore. He came in bragging that he had killed you. After everything I've _seen_ over the years, I figured he was lying. At least, I hoped he was. I cursed at him ... told him to show me his _prior incantato_ proving it. He wouldn't do it. I told him I could see you were alive. I couldn't, of course. But then something snapped inside me. I started _seeing_ him. First time that's ever happened when it wasn't you."

"What did you see?" Sirius asked. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know the answer, but he couldn't help asking.

"Well, if it's accurate, his family was in ruins. Disgraced by Voldemort. He's going to prison for something. I saw him in Azkaban. I saw Harry fighting Voldemort, and winning. God, I hope it doesn't come to that. But when I told Malfoy this, he went mad and hit me with his fist. He called me a whore and used a spell to take my clothing off. I was trying anything to get him to loose my hands. Told him he was a weak bastard or something. He finally did remove the bonds, but I couldn't move my arms at first. He started hexing me, over and over again, keeping me down on the floor. I couldn't get up." Now her crying had stopped.

"Did he ... abuse you, Mad? I mean, I know he did, but ..." Sirius broke off. He already wanted to kill Malfoy, but if the man had raped Maddy, he would make it even more painful and drawn-out.

"No. He was, um, going to, though."

She thought of Malfoy's naked body and how aroused he had been, but she didn't tell Sirius.

"Finally, I got some feeling back in my arms. I grabbed the torc and transfigured it back into my wand. He didn't know what hit him." She snorted. "I sent his wand flying off. Then I was going to curse him, but I thought it would be better to dispose of the wand first."

Sirius was impressed by her ingenuity. "How'd you do that? It's not easy to destroy a wand, I mean."

Maddy laughed. "An Irish spell my old gran taught me. She made me memorize it once when I was a kid. Told me I'd need it someday. Funny how you forget things. I hadn't thought of it for years, and suddenly it came to me, like she was standing next to me, whispering it in my ear. _G__o ndóimid. _May you burn. She said it was very powerful, and that Irish witches used it centuries ago, though nowadays they use the traditional Latin derivations."

She heaved a deep sigh. "So Malfoy was without his precious wand. I went for his face, to pay him back for this." She touched her cheek.

"Then I meant to get him in the chest, but my arm was a bit shaky. Hit his arm instead. He started backing away. That's when I remembered another spell my gran taught me. The one to teach nasty old men a lesson, she said. _Go gcealgaimid._ Takes a while to work, but as far as revenge goes, it's supposed to be pretty sweet. I wonder if she _saw_ all this coming, come to think of it."

"I can't wait to hear what that means, though I have an idea," Sirius remarked, and his expression was more amused now.

Maddy shrugged. "It's a stinging hex. With any luck, he's begging his wife to cut his dick off about now," she added with a tiny laugh. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall when he explains to her how _that_ happened.

"But then, you showed up with Dobby. My heart nearly stopped when I saw Malfoy looking perfectly healthy after what I'd done to him."

Sirius didn't say anything at first. Then he kissed Maddy softly on the forehead. His lips moved to her cheek for a second kiss, then her mouth.

"Madeleine, I need to tell you something. I hope you can forgive me."

The reflection of the firelight danced in his eyes, and Maddy could see that he appeared upset.

"What on earth are you talking about, Sirius?"

He seemed to be struggling for the right words. "It's my fault we didn't rescue you sooner."

Maddy was confused. "Well, I wasn't there _that_ long. I can hardly expect you to formulate some plan in record time to get me out of a house that probably has all kinds of protection on it. I don't understand."

"Dobby offered to go to Malfoy Manor yesterday by himself. I'd told Harry about Malfoy taking you – "

Maddy interrupted. "Wait. How did _you_ know?"

"Oh, right. I should start at the beginning."

Sirius told Maddy about the places he had gone in search of her, and his frustration that she had seemingly vanished into thin air. How he had gone to meet Harry to borrow his invisibility cloak in case it should come in handy, and Snape had been there in his place. How Snape had managed to worm information from Draco, passing it along to Sirius. Sirius's inability to think up a way to get into the Malfoy house, until Harry contacted him urgently with the news that their former house-elf was employed by Hogwarts.

"Dobby was more than eager to help. He said he could rescue you himself, and knew of a room where Malfoy liked to hide his dark things. He reckoned that was where you would be held. Narcissa supposedly doesn't even know about the room."

Maddy was silent at first, trying to piece together everything he had said.

"Why didn't Dobby go ahead and get me out of there, then?" she asked in a low voice.

Sirius touched her hair. "I'm so sorry, Mad. It's just that ... Harry contacted me again, after Dobby had gone. Turns out, Dobby has a rather _spotty_ track record when it comes to helping people. When Harry was a second year, Dobby's 'help' almost got him killed a few times, he said. Maybe you'll remember some of that, since you were at Hogwarts."

Maddy shrugged. "I didn't really know Harry well; only by name."

"I couldn't take that chance with you. I mean, I would have come in there the second I knew where you were, but it wasn't that easy. If unwanted intruders show up, Malfoy's wards and protections are set to kill them. But Dobby told me what to say to disarm the place. He went to Snape on my request and begged him for polyjuice potion, because there are only certain voices recognized – Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, for example – so it was better for me to go that route.

"Curious thing about Snape," Sirius mused, as if it had only just occurred to him.

"What's that?" asked Maddy.

"We sent patronuses back and forth a few times. I figured his would be a snake or something. But it was a doe. Same as Lily's used to be."

"How did you get Malfoy's hair, though?" Maddy's attentions quickly turned back to the mechanics of her rescue. Snape's patronus was of no concern to her.

"Well, Dobby rummaged around, trying to find a tiny bit of hair in his cache of ... well, whatever he keeps. He couldn't find any, though. So he apparated there in the middle of the night to sneak a few strands."

"Couldn't he have taken me then?" Maddy demanded.

She understood Sirius's reasoning on the surface, but the thought that she could have gone from Malfoy Manor earlier was suddenly angering her. She sat up in bed and leaned over to the bedside table, groping for her wand. Once she found it, she lit the lamp and looked back at Sirius. They both squinted at the sudden brightness.

"Oh, God, Madeleine, I've been beating myself up over that. I'm so sorry. All I could think was what would happen if Dobby didn't succeed. I couldn't get Harry's words out of my mind. And I knew that all we needed was a tiny bit of hair for the polyjuice, then I could come with him. And then there was your vision. I kept reminding myself what we both said."

Maddy was silent, thinking back to the things they had talked about.

"I thought you trusted that vision," Sirius continued. "I mean, obviously you were able to use my words to help with transfiguring the wand. _I_ believed it, when I went in with Dobby. But I understand why you're angry."

"Angry? I don't know. Exhausted, more like. Maybe we should just go to bed. We can finish talking about this tomorrow, when I can think more clearly."

Maddy frowned in the direction of the wall as she thought about his words. It was ironic that Sirius fully believed in the vision now, and _she_ was the one who was skeptical. She wanted to take her anger out on him, but she wasn't sure if he was really who she was upset with. The circumstances, yes. Her captors, certainly. At the moment, the thought of applying another curse to Lucius Malfoy's bits was extremely appealing. Not to mention Bellatrix, that _lunatic_. Maddy wanted to see her dead. She hadn't told Sirius about _that_ yet, though.

"Mad, I am _sorry_. It just seemed like the best thing to do at the time. Do you really think I wanted to just sit around on my hands and wait? It nearly killed me!"

She sighed and touched his hair with her hand. "I understand, Sirius. I'm not upset with you. It's just still so fresh, y'know?"

Maddy looked down at her hands and suddenly remembered her ring was missing.

"Where is it?" she asked softly, holding up her left hand.

"I have it downstairs. Want me to get it?"

"No, don't get out of bed."

She reached for her wand, wondering fleetingly where the other one was now, and put the light back out. Then she laid her head down on the pillow, facing Sirius.

"I love you and I'm very grateful for what you did. So stop worrying, okay?"

He sighed. "I love you, Mad. Mind if I curl up around you?"

She leaned over to kiss him. "I don't mind."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius awoke early the next morning. With the curtains drawn shut, he could barely make anything out as he looked around. As his bleary eyes adjusted, he heard a muffled snore and his gaze turned to the shadow of Maddy's sleeping form. She was lying on her stomach with her face buried in a pillow, sleeping like the dead. He inched closer to her, wishing she would wake up and want to make love. _He_ certainly wanted to. It seemed like ages since they had been together.

Then he immediately felt guilty. After all she had been through, he couldn't exactly expect her to be in the mood for _that. _Still, he couldn't help tracing a feather light trail down her back. Perhaps he should get up and make breakfast soon, he thought idly. Maddy would surely be hungry when she awoke, even after all the food they had consumed the previous night. She stirred slightly at his touch, but didn't awaken.

Sirius paused until she was still once more, then touched her again. _God_, she was beautiful, with her thick dark hair in an untidy mass halfway down her back. He allowed amorous thoughts to infiltrate his mind once more, and he grew excited at the thought of tasting her skin while entering her sweet wet space repeatedly. As he thought about it, his hand stroked her body with a bolder touch, until he had reached the hollow of her lower back. Maddy shivered in her sleep, and he smiled at the reaction.

The room was getting lighter; it must be past daybreak now. Sirius leaned over to place a soft kiss on the spot he had just touched. Then he noticed something odd. Her back, normally smooth and creamy white above her tattoo, had something strange on it. A black, odd-shaped blob was placed squarely in the middle.

"Dear Merlin," Sirius breathed in horror.

The erotic thoughts evaporated in an instant, replaced with rage. Maddy stirred again and lifted her head off the pillow.

"You say something?" she mumbled.

"I'm wondering who the fuck did this to you," Sirius whispered. He had a difficult time keeping his voice calm. "Malfoy?"

Maddy looked at him, not comprehending his meaning at first. Then she realized what he was looking at.

"Your cousin did that," she said. Her voice was flat.

"My cousin Bellatrix?" he spat out. "She's a dead woman. I'll fucking kill her for this."

Maddy touched his cheek. "What is it?" she asked softly.

He stared at her. "What do you mean?"

"She didn't tell me what she was doing." Her voice grew bitter. "It was a bit of retaliation."

"For what?" Sirius snapped. Then he sighed. He hadn't meant to direct his anger at Maddy.

"Bellatrix experimented with the_ imperius_ on me when she came in. Apparently I don't _imperius_ very well." Maddy tried to smile, but didn't quite make it.

"Oh, she did? The bitch. But what do you mean?"

"She tried to make me do things, and I started to obey her, but then I managed to close my mind off. Maybe it's a seer thing? It infuriated her."

"Good for you. She didn't tell you what this is, though?"

"No."

Sirius lifted his gaze up to meet Maddy's eyes. "It is ... a tattoo of a snake destroying a phoenix. It moves at times. Does it hurt you, still?"

A few tears slid down her face, and Sirius brushed them away with a finger.

Maddy sniffled. "Well, you already know how it feels to get a tattoo. Magic or no, it's uncomfortable, to say the least. Were all these done in Azkaban?"

She pressed a hand to Sirius's chest, and he held it with his own.

"All but one. This one," he guided her hand to his breastbone where the faded rune, _algiz_, had been inked, "was done by a muggle in London. James went with me. I couldn't convince him to have one done, though. Bloody chicken."

Maddy saw a shadow of the fond smile that Sirius always wore when reminiscing about James. Then he sobered quickly.

"When did you get yours?" he asked, putting off the topic at hand for the moment. He put his hand on the tattoo she wore on her lower back, identical to his.

"The day after my seventeenth birthday. I knew a bit about rune symbols already, and of course, I'd _seen_ it on you. I guess I thought it gave me a connection to this beautiful, mysterious man I'd always wondered about.

"But anyway," she continued, "Bellatrix did that other _thing_ herself. I think I'd rather be in labor for two days straight. She wasn't exactly trying to be gentle anyway, and she wouldn't tell me what it was. Felt like I was being carved up with a knife. When she was finished, she cast a spell on it. To make it move, I suppose."

Sirius was silent, though his mind was occupied with conjuring up several ways for his cousin to die painfully.

"Sirius, please. It's over now. And you're right. We both knew I'd be okay. Surely that tattoo can be removed."

He looked back at her and nodded. Any thoughts of making love had disappeared after that conversation, though he knew it had been necessary. And now they could move on.

"You're right. I'm sure it can," he replied, trying to sound reassuring. "How about this, Mad? I have a few errands to run. I'll try to do that tomorrow. You get some things ready whilst I'm gone. Then we'll leave."

Maddy was already protesting.

"Please don't leave me! What if you got caught?"

Sirius paused for a moment, then decided to forge ahead. He put both hands on her face and planted a searing kiss on her lips.

"I promise you, I will be fine," he said softly. "And I won't leave you alone, either. Hopefully Remus will be well enough to stay with you. It's been full moon, I mean. But if not, I'll find someone else. I just have something I need to return before we leave. It's important."

"So where will we go, then?" she asked, only slightly mollified.

Sirius smiled and kissed Maddy once more. "France. I think it's time, n'est-ce pas?"


	32. Karma, and Remembrance

The following morning, Lucius Malfoy limped a bit stiffly down the corridor of St. Mungo's. His wife, Narcissa, walked alongside him. Her lips seemed pursed into a permanent thin line, and she wore an expression of deep disapproval. Malfoy didn't speak to her; he had been curiously tight-lipped ever since his mysterious mishap. Other than a vague excuse about a self-pleasuring spell gone awry, which she didn't believe, he had offered no further explanation. Now, after staying over a night for observation to let the spell run its course, he was being discharged. He hoped like hell there were no long-term effects.

Malfoy's mind was brimming with thoughts of revenge. That little bint would pay for what she had done. He would coax Bellatrix into returning and let her do whatever she pleased in the way of torture; well, once they relieved the nasty little witch of her wand. He wasn't sure how _that _was going to happen, though he knew Maddy couldn't last much longer with no food or water. Perhaps he would just let her starve to death, come to think of it.

"Mr. Malfoy?" a voice called behind him.

He sighed noisily. It sounded like that idiot trainee healer he had been stuck with. Could they not have at least given him someone with more experience? And with all the galleons he had donated to the place! He would be speaking to someone about _this,_ they could rest assured.

Malfoy affected his best disdainful posture, and turned around to see what the fool wanted. No one was there. He looked all around, confused.

"Did you hear someone call me?" he finally asked Narcissa, who looked coldly back at him.

She shrugged. "Sounded like it."

Then they both heard a voice again, though they couldn't understand what it said. The words were few, and spoken faintly.

He turned back around and continued his limp toward the elevators. An elderly wizard with a huge ear trumpet sticking out of his nose passed by, and Malfoy smirked.

Once the pair had apparated back to Malfoy Manor, Narcissa went straight to their chambers. She lay down on the enormous bed, conjuring a damp washcloth which she draped over her eyes; it was her usual afternoon ritual. Lucius had paid her no further notice, but went to the blank spot on the drawing room wall where a door would appear when summoned. He looked around, then uttered the spell which caused the door to show itself. He decided that he wouldn't bother waiting for Bellatrix. Might as well incapacitate the little bitch straightaway. Then, if he still felt like it, he would force her to do what he wanted.

At the foot of the stairs, another door appeared, and he held out his wife's wand. He was ready to put Maddy out of commission, and he hoped it would work as well as his own. That damned Ollivander was going to have to remake his, turned out. After another silent curse directed at Maddy for _that_ inconvenience, Lucius opened the door a crack.

He saw nothing, only a dimly lit room that still smelled of unwashed human. He wrinkled his nose. She would have to be cleaned up, if nothing else, before _he_ would touch her. Suspicious of another ambush, Malfoy cracked the door open a tiny bit further. Still nothing. Finally, the door was open wide, but amazingly, the room was empty. What had happened to her?

Lucius sighed. Bellatrix had probably taken her somewhere else, damn the woman. He walked out, muttering the spell which diminished the door, and strode up the stairs to send his wife's cousin an owl demanding some answers.

Just then, a curious feeling began to gently creep over him. It was a slight, niggling sensation in the general area of his bits that, unfortunately, he recognized all too well.

"Merlin!" he spat out in exasperation. How had she done it _again_?

He walked quickly to his study and shut the door. The burning sensation was growing stronger by the minute, and he cursed bitterly, leaning over his expansive desk. What the hell _was _this thing, anyway? Lucius groaned, and, as the feeling of fire in his nether regions grew stronger and intensely painful once again, he collapsed on the costly Aubusson carpet and curled up into a fetal position.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Dolores Umbridge was growing more agitated with each passing hour. She had spent all morning putting out fires, figuratively _and_ literally, and her patience had long since worn thin.

"Bloody _stupid_ little brats," she muttered upon entering her office.

She threw down her wand on the desk and sank into the huge cushy chair. Pulling out a mirror from her desk drawer, she took in her face with its black smudge marks, and sighed noisily.

The same drawer had a neatly folded pink handkerchief inside, and Umbridge dabbed it on her face as she peered into the mirror. Then she leaned back and shut her eyes, allowing herself a moment of tranquility before Filch was sure to come knocking on her door to wheeze about some other catastrophe.

A slight noise made her open them again. Her wand was slowly rolling away toward the edge of the desk. She reached for it, stabilizing the instrument, and closed her eyes once more. A few moments later, she heard a louder noise and, upon opening her eyes, found the wand missing, having fallen off the desk.

"Bugger!" she exclaimed with venom.

Probably those two Weasley imbeciles were behind this. She wouldn't be surprised if they had done something to her desk to render it unstable. She would make them pay, of course. All the students would, and soon. _And _the teachers, she added to herself with satisfaction.

Umbridge stood up, heaving a great sigh, and walked around to the front of the desk to pick up her wand. It wasn't there. Repeating her earlier epithet, she knelt down and looked under the desk. She didn't see it anywhere, but she noticed something else that made her squeal with surprise. A pair of legs, in dark pinstriped trousers. She slowly lifted her head and peered over the desk to see Sirius Black sitting calmly at her desk, regarding her with raised eyebrows.

"Lost something?" he inquired softly.

Umbridge started in fright, but then gathered herself together and looked defiantly at him.

"Black. What are you doing here? Where did you come from?"

He smiled slightly. "That's none of your concern."

"Missing Azkaban? Because you'll be returning there for this."

Her voice shook slightly, despite her bravado, and she looked furtively around for her wand.

"We need to have a little talk, you and I," Sirius answered.

He wasn't the least bit unruffled by her words, but merely sat in her cushy chair and stared at her.

"I suppose you did something with my wand," Umbridge said sharply.

He pushed the chair back and stood up, looking down at her. "Well, yes, I did." He held the wand up. "Bit free with it, aren't you? I thought it was better to disarm you, considering your habit of performing illegal curses that could get _you_ thrown into Azkaban."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Umbridge lied coldly. "But what happened to your _girlfriend_? Apparently she never showed up at the Ministry." She decided to try a different tack. "You_ do_ know she's wanted for questioning, don't you?"

Sirius laughed. "Yes. As am I, from what I hear. I'm not too worried, though. I believe things will work out just fine."

Umbridge raised her eyebrows. "Well, what are you planning to do now?"

He considered her. "Well, first, I thought I'd – " he held up her stubby wand, "– take _this_ away from you."

Sirius pointed his own wand at an ornate stained-glass window nearby. It opened wide. He walked over to it and flung Umbridge's wand out. She gasped in anger. Her office looked over a steep ravine, and there would be no hope of retrieving it.

"You bastard. You'll pay for that!"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll have a new wand sooner or later, even if you don't deserve it. But _this_ – " he bared his teeth menacingly and pointed the wand in her direction, "is what really makes me feel better."

A burst of light left his wand and hit her squarely in the chest. Sirius stood back and looked at his work. It was only a slight improvement, but he was pleased with his efforts.

"Mischief managed," he whispered in tribute to James. He left her alone in her office.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Twenty minutes later, a classroom full of students sat in the DADA classroom, idly passing notes whilst waiting on their teacher. Hermione raised an eyebrow and checked her watch for the third time in ten minutes. It was totally unlike Umbridge to be so late to class. She would give the old toad five more minutes before walking out.

Then the door opened, and the students automatically straightened up, expecting to see Umbridge waddling in. It wasn't Umbridge, however. Several mouths dropped open as Sirius Black shut the door behind him and walked over to the desk. He leaned up against it, and looked out at the classroom full of astonished students.

"There will be no class today," he said simply. He spotted Harry and Ron, and grinned conspiratorially at them.

Draco sneered at him. "Where's Professor Umbridge?" he demanded.

Sirius looked over at him. "I believe she's ill," he responded innocently.

One of the DA students, who had recovered from the shock of seeing Sirius in the midst of Hogwarts, had a sudden inspiration.

"Why don't _you_ teach it?" she called out.

Her friends nodded enthusiastically.

"Me?" Sirius asked in surprise. "No thanks! I have to be going, anyway. Harry, I need to speak to you outside first."

He motioned toward the door. Harry stood up and followed his godfather outside the classroom. Sirius closed the door back, and they could hear an instant buzz of conversation behind it.

"What are you doing here, Sirius? How's Maddy?" Harry was every bit as curious as the others about his godfather's presence, though at least Dobby had informed him about Maddy's rescue.

"I wanted to let you know I'll be away for a while, Harry. Mad and I are going to France. For a few reasons."

He didn't elaborate. Saying they were running from the Ministry seemed a little silly. Leaving was mainly for Madeleine's benefit, anyway. Harry seemed to be reading his mind.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah. She will be. Still in a bit of shock, though. Harry, listen. You let me know if anyone gives you trouble, for _any_ reason. Understand?"

Harry nodded. "Umbridge hasn't bothered me, at least."

"I'll be in contact with you before long. Keep the mirror handy, okay? And here -" He pulled out a shimmery mass from under his jacket. "I almost forgot. Here's your invisibility cloak back. Thanks for the use of it. Brought back some memories." Sirius smiled wistfully.

"Oh, no problem." Harry regarded the silken folds for a moment. "Sirius, did you do something to Umbridge?"

A smile continued to play on Sirius's lips. "Aw, I just treated her to a wee bit of transfiguration. Nothing major. Certainly less than she deserved." He winked at his godson.

"I should go. Mad'll be worried. Take care, Harry, and I'll be in touch. Okay?" Sirius hugged Harry hard.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

The enormous doors in the front entrance of Hogwarts castle creaked open slowly. Sirius waited patiently for them to finish before walking out. He suddenly remembered to send a patronus to Madeleine, whom he was sure must be anxious to hear from him. Picturing a happy memory, he conjured the large silvery dog. He told her he loved her and would be home soon.

A sound behind him made him turn around, but it was only Filch, throwing out a shaggy grey rat.

"There! That'll teach you to be nosin' around the headmistress's office, you nasty little bugger!"

He caught sight of Sirius, and a look of shock froze on his face as the enormous doors shut on their own. Sirius took one look at the extremely disgruntled rodent and laughed heartily.

_Nice one, Padfoot! _He could practically hear James saying the words.

He bounded down the path to the front gate, satisfied at how the morning had gone. Two nasty little people brought down, albeit in a small way. For now, he would have to rely on karma to take care of them further, unless their paths happened to cross again.

Sirius reached the front gate, which opened automatically for him. He considered transforming, but ultimately decided to walk, since it was such a fine day. Sunlight weaved down through the trees, warming him whenever he stepped through a patch of it. Sirius pushed away thoughts of Malfoy and Umbridge. He laughed to himself at the student's words in Harry's DADA class. Teaching a class? What a silly notion.

_Well, why not?_ a voice in his mind retorted. _You've had more than enough experience with dark wizardry. Look who you grew up around, for crissakes! And if Moony could do it ...well, surely you could, as well. _

Sirius snorted. When he had been a teenager, a teacher was the last profession he ever would have considered. Sirius had always aspired to auror, or perhaps even unspeakable, and his marks were more than good enough to get him there. But with the formation of the Order, he had abandoned those career paths, using his uncle's inheritance to fund the fight against Voldemort. The element of extreme danger had always appealed to him.

Until it destroyed his life. Not to mention James and Lily's. Sirius hadn't thought recently about Maddy's place in everything all those years. She had grown up always thinking of him. It was comforting to know now that, during all those wasted years in prison, he hadn't been forgotten after all. He wished fervently that James could have met her. A sudden thought struck him, and he decided to apparate home.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"I thought we'd do this, for old times' sake," Sirius said to Maddy. "It's such a lovely day, and I figured you'd like to get out of the house. Bet you can't guess where we are." He shot her a devilish grin.

Maddy looked around cautiously, halfway expecting to see Malfoy or a Ministry official bursting out of the wood pointing a wand at her.

"You're safe with me," Sirius added, reading her mind. "You have exactly one minute, though."

He took Maddy's hand as she walked into the main thoroughfare, observing the various quaint shops. They passed a few elderly women out toting cloth shopping bags, and Sirius smiled at them. He stepped out in the middle of the High Street, next to a beat up Citroën parked haphazardly on the curb, and turned to Maddy.

"Can't you guess?" he teased.

Maddy shook her head. "Nope. You'll have to win this round, I'm afraid."

He said nothing further, but pulled her along after him. Soon enough, they came to the village square, where an obelisk stood. It appeared to be a war memorial recognizing those whose lives had been lost in the latest great muggle wars of that century. Upon closer inspection, however, the stone seemed to transform. Intrigued, she moved closer to see that it wasn't an obelisk, after all, but a statue of a small family.

"Oh, dear," Maddy murmured. "This is where the Potters lived, isn't it?"

She studied the monument for a long time in silence. Then Maddy contemplated the paradox of the man beside her, vibrantly alive, with his long dark hair and grey eyes, standing next to the cold grey stone of the Potters.

"Ready to move on?" Sirius asked quietly, interrupting her ruminations. Maddy nodded. He put an arm around her waist and led her away from the Potter memorial. When she looked back, it had returned to its original state.

They walked the short distance to the village church, skirting around the edge of the building until they came to the accompanying graveyard. Once they passed under the kissing gate, the couple continued past several crumbling crosses and tombstones caked with lichen before arriving at the Potters'. In contrast to many of the surrounding stones, theirs had been kept clean and tidy, and she wondered if that was Sirius's doing. Maddy read the words on the marker, still clearly etched into it, while Sirius sat on the tombstone opposite. He appeared deep in thought.

Maddy decided to leave him to his memories for a few minutes. She wandered to various stones, observing the epitaphs and taking care to avoid the crumbled rock that had fallen around some. One marker drew her up short. _Ariana Dumbledore. _There was another close by, and she looked carefully at the name on that one. _Kendra Dumbledore_.

Maddy straightened up, wrinkling her brow. She had never heard Albus speak of any family. Yet Dumbledore was an uncommon enough name that she wondered if these were his relatives. Like the Potters' graves, the two stones bearing the Dumbledore name were meticulously kept, and in perfect condition.

Maddy heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and turned quickly. Her wand was clenched tightly in a fist, but she relaxed her grip upon seeing it was only Sirius.

"Look! There are some Dumbledores here. D'you reckon they're related to Albus?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah. I believe that Kendra was his mother. Ariana might have been his sister?"

He seemed to think there was nothing extraordinary about this fact, but Maddy looked up at him in surprise.

"Says here Kendra died in 1899! How frigging old _is_ Albus? I took him for about eighty or so."

Sirius smiled. "Nah, he's older than that. By twenty or thirty years, at least."

"Huh. So he's taking care of the family graves, I suppose?"

Sirius nodded. "Well, I'm sure it's him or his brother, one. I've seen them both here. Not at the same time, mind," he hastened to add. "They don't get on, for some reason."

"Really! Who's his brother? I didn't know he had one."

Sirius laughed. Maddy was encouraged by his cheerfulness, but wasn't sure what he thought was so funny.

"You've met him, dear. And he's in the Order, though I haven't seen him at a meeting for yonks. Probably not since before you came along last summer."

Maddy was mystified. "Well, spill it. I don't know who you're talking about."

"Remember Aberforth?"

Maddy screwed up her eyes, trying to recall him. "Oh! The bloke that owns the Hogs Head? I remember thinking he reminded me of someone. Can't believe I didn't make _that _connection."

"I've one more thing to show you, and then we should be off." Sirius looked at his watch and frowned.

"What's that?" Maddy asked, edging her way gingerly through the mine of headstones as she followed Sirius out of the graveyard.

"The last place I saw James alive."

They walked past the church, turning onto another lane. An elderly female passerby nodded at Sirius, and he returned the gesture. She looked speculatively at Maddy before moving on.

"You know her?" Maddy asked.

Sirius shrugged. "No. But they've seen me quite a bit in the last year or two. Here we are."

He stood in front of the crumbling ruins and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"James and Lily's cottage," Maddy said quietly. She took in the overgrown brush, and brick that had fallen down years before, then turned back to Sirius. He was, curiously, smiling.

"Yeah. I remember one of our last conversations. Prongs was given to really bad poetry. Always trying to make up something about me and motorbikes. He finally gave up on my own name and started calling me 'Michael', so it would fit."

"Fit?"

"His most stellar verse: _My name is Michael and I drive a motorcycle_."

"A regular Shakespeare," Maddy said, laughing in spite of herself.

"Yeah, Prongs was a real master of the rhyming couplet. Especially when pissed," Sirius said. He rolled his eyes and grinned at her. "Only things he could work in with my name were _mysterious_ and _delirious_. Needless to say, those got overused a bit."

"Not _siberious_?" Maddy asked, tongue in cheek.

"Now don't _you_ start!" he warned. "Considering that's not even a word!"

She sighed. "I'm going to lie awake nights thinking up words that rhyme with Sirius now."

"As am I, though I don't think I'll have much luck with 'Madeleine'."

Maddy snorted. They stared at the ruins in silence. After a few minutes, Sirius spoke again.

"Prongs told me once I'd never get married. Well, more than once, actually. Of course, back when he was saying it, I tended to agree with him."

Maddy sat down on a bench that had been put there in memory of the Potters. "You've never said much about your old girlfriends."

"Wasn't much to say about them. There was only one girl I was remotely interested in, long ago."

Maddy nodded. "I remember you talking about her." She remembered it all _too_ well, as a matter of fact, and had wondered about the woman on several occasions. "So tell me about her."

Sirius plopped himself on the bench beside her. "Her name was Karen Rutherfoord ... with two o's. She always said that. She was in my class at Hogwarts, and in the first Order with us."

"Really?" Maddy was shocked. She had never heard anyone mention this fact. A very disturbing image took over in her mind, of Sirius in bed with another witch, and Maddy wished she had never brought up the subject.

"We went out for a couple of years. She started talking about getting married," Sirius was saying, "some months before _this_ happened." He tilted his head somberly toward the ruins.

"I remember James saying I would never marry her. Well, he was right about _that_."

"Why not?" Maddy couldn't help asking.

"I don't know. Part of it was ... well, I just wasn't ready. I used to be so envious of James. He was sure of Lily, for years. I couldn't figure out why I wasn't sure about Karen, or anyone. I'd try to picture us married, but the thought terrified me. Good thing, for more than one reason."

"How's that?"

"Well, who wants a convicted murderer for a husband? She'd have been in disgrace among wizards."

His tone was matter-of-fact, but Maddy felt bad for him, thinking about all the years he had endured being a pariah. She still remembered how viciously rumors had escalated about him after his capture, with all the panic surrounding Voldemort. A wife, back then, would have most likely been shunned by the wizarding community, if not worse.

"So have you heard from her since?"

Sirius paused. "Yeah, once. Not in person, though."

Maddy stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"You told me once that you had written to me a long time ago. After we had that falling out in January, I remembered I still had a box of letters from different people that I had never bothered to read. I fished through it and found yours. I always meant to tell you I had finally seen it. I just wish I had made the effort much earlier. And after you had gone through so much! But, anyway, that letter got me to thinking, maybe you had written another one. I skimmed through all of them to see. That's when I found one from her."

"What did she want?"

Sirius looked at Maddy. "To tell me she was sorry. She had believed I was guilty, along with everyone else, back then. No big surprise."

"Anything else?"

He shrugged. "Not really. Maybe she was feeling me out, who knows. She said she had been married to some wizard; a guy I'd never heard of, but they were divorced. She lives outside Cornwall or somewhere. I don't remember."

Maddy nodded, but she felt vastly insecure all of a sudden. She glanced down at her ring for reassurance.

As if he had read her mind, Sirius said, "Don't give her another thought. I didn't really love her much then, and I certainly don't think about her now. I read that stupid letter from her, and all it did was make me sorrier I'd driven you off. I started picturing you with another guy, some faceless wizard taking you to bed, and it nearly killed me. Someone who didn't have all my issues. Whole, y'know?"

"As if you're not? _Please_." Maddy felt a small thrill at his earlier words, though; that Sirius had worried about the exact thing she had.

"You are who I love, Madeleine, and I want more than anything to be your husband."

"You're sure?" Maddy couldn't help asking. "No longer than we've been together?"

He took her left hand in his and fingered the ring. "Yes, without a doubt. God, I wish James could have met you. He'd have loved you, Mad. So would Lily."

Maddy sighed, and reached up to kiss Sirius. "I wish I had met them, as well."

"You're sure this is what _you_ want? You've been through so much, yourself," Sirius said. He looked intently at her.

Maddy returned his gaze and smiled. "Absolutely. So is it to be in France?"

"I think so. I know the perfect place, and I've investigated bonding wizards there already. Is that okay?"

She nodded. "Anywhere you want will be perfect."

Sirius stood up and stretched. "Let's go home, then. I've lots to pack, still yet."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"I thought we'd start here in Paris, though this isn't where I want to marry you."

Maddy walked around their large suite, impressed. A nearby desk had a set of quills and parchment with the words _H__ôtel des Anges_ engraved on them.

"It's beautiful." She smiled.

"Wait 'til you see this, though!" Sirius said enthusiastically.

He pulled open a pair of rich silk dupioni drapes. A view of the Louvre, with the Eiffel Tower in the background, greeted them.

"Oh, what a lovely view! I've never been to Paris," Maddy said. "Can't wait to see all the sights. So, are there a lot of wizarding places here?" She had noticed Sirius tipping a bellman in galleons.

He nodded. "Yeah, but I've got plenty of francs for muggle places. You like museums?"

"Yeah," Maddy answered. "Back when I was at Gringotts, I would head to the British Museum, Victoria and Albert ... all that stuff during lunch some days."

"Well, there's the Louvre, of course." Sirius stood behind Maddy and slid an arm around her waist as he pointed to it with his free hand. "Then there's the Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, et cetera. Then the _Musee de S__orcellerie Française_, I think they call it. French Wizardry Museum. Might be worth a stroll through that one. But what I'm most interested in just now is_ le lit dans cette chambre._"

He kissed her neck softly. Maddy gasped and glanced over at the enormous bed.

"So you know French, then?"

"Yeah, though I haven't spoken it in a while and my grammar's probably _horrible_." He pronounced the word with an accent. "But enough about that." Sirius whispered. "I'll be happy to practice it whilst making love to you, though. Beautiful woman."

He continued the light kisses to the side of Maddy's neck. Then he paused.

"Is this okay, love?"

"What?" Maddy didn't understand.

"Maybe you're not ... ready to do this yet? I should have asked before. I'm sorry."

She turned around to face him.

"_Je suis prêt. Absolutement. Je t'aime, Michel." *_

Sirius laughed heartily. "_Touché__, __ma belle fiancée. Je t'aime, aussi. Allons au lit." **_

***

*"I am ready. Absolutely. I love you, Michael."

**"Touché, my beautiful fiancée. I love you, too. Let's go to bed."


	33. City of Blinding Lights

Paris's Rue Cler, in some ways, reminded Maddy of a muggle-style Diagon Alley. Crowds of people wandered the pedestrian-only street in the seventh arrondissement, gathering their daily groceries and chatting with shopkeepers they knew well. The only vehicles present were lorries that rumbled past occasionally, parking cockeyed on the sidewalks. Drivers unloaded produce trucked in each day from nearby Rungis market, or fish coming from ports a hundred miles away on the English Channel.

Sirius had suggested collecting some items of food for a picnic. With the Eiffel Tower and its accompanying park nearby, Rue Cler was the perfect place to gather essentials for a nice lunch.

"Right. Let's start with some cheese," Sirius suggested, standing in the middle of the street. He pointed to an awning that announced a fromagerie.

They walked, hand in hand, over to the little shop. A table spilled out on the sidewalk, filled with various shapes, colors and sizes of cheese. Maddy inhaled the pungent odors, and sighed rapturously.

"My sentiments exactly," Sirius observed. "This is one hell of a spread!"

They browsed around until they had picked out some goat cheese, a bleu, a wedge of Emmenthaler and a round of Brie, then walked inside to pay. The shopkeeper was a young French woman who spoke in English once she determined where the couple was from.

"Here, smell this ... it is like zee feet of angels," she exclaimed enthusiastically, holding out a moldy sample of an unknown substance for their inspection.

Sirius took a sniff and coughed delicately, but managed to nod in appreciation.

"Actually, it smells more like Remus's feet after he wore the same socks three days in a row. A little too close to home for me, but you're welcome to it, Mad."

Maddy couldn't help wrinkling her nose at the odor, and the lady laughed and shrugged.

"_Merci_. We'll just take these, though," she told the woman.

They exited the shop, looking about for the next place to attack. Maddy immediately noticed Tarte Julie across the street.

"There," she commanded.

A colorful stone and glass window decorated the storefront, and they paused to admire it before entering.

"You do realize we're going to eat our weight in this stuff if we're not careful," Sirius commented when they walked in. "You should never come to a place like this on an empty stomach."

Maddy ignored his tone. "Oh, now ... this is exactly where you come on an empty stomach. See, there's a nice savory tart. Tomato and goat cheese. I'll take two of those, to start."

"To start?" Sirius teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, and one of ... ooh, look at that!" Maddy said, inhaling euphorically again as she spied something else. "And I want that one." She pointed at a tart covered in almonds.

"Do I get to pick out something?" he asked indignantly, but he pushed a wavy lock of hair out of her face and smiled.

"Oh yeah, go ahead," she replied, now utterly distracted by a mango tart. "We can take some back to the hotel later if we don't eat it all."

They picked out a few more things and handed over some francs to pay. Sirius squinted as they stepped back out into the sunshine, and fumbled around for a pair of sunglasses.

"Nice look," Maddy said, noticing the style as he slid them on. "Very Lennon-esque." She took a pair out of her bag and shoved them up on the bridge of her nose.

"How about some bread and wine, and then we'll take it over to the park?" he asked.

She nodded. They walked down to the end of the street toward the boulangerie for a baguette, but noticed Wine Nicholas first. After purchasing a few bottles, glasses and a corkscrew, they continued to the bakery. Once done there, they made their way, rather unsteadily under their load, to the Parc du Champ de Mars. After searching for a nice shade tree, Maddy arranged their spread on the carpet of grass and they began to gorge on it. They ate in silence for a while, watching people.

"Where to next?" Maddy finally asked with a mouth full of tart.

"Well," Sirius said, "We're going to a place close to the Alps, called Annecy. There's a converted abbey there that's a hotel now. Abbaye de Talloires. It's quite beautiful."

"Mmmm ... I can't wait. I meant today, though," Maddy answered. She took one last gulp of her wine and set the empty glass down. It immediately fell over on the grass, but she ignored it.

"We've exhausted all the major sights except for this one," he said, pointing to the Eiffel tower directly before them. "So how about we come back here after dark and go to the top, then perhaps move on tomorrow or the next day? No need to be in a hurry. We could fly down there or take the train. I'm not up to apparating with all our stuff." He winced at the thought.

She nodded. "The train sounds good to me. I'm open to anything."

The truth was, Maddy was growing impatient to become Mrs. Black, and her curiosity about the place Sirius raved about had risen to new levels the more he spoke of it. Malfoy and Bellatrix were fast becoming distant memories, and Maddy was having the time of her life with the man she loved, in a place that was every bit as magical as wizarding England. And there was virtually no chance of anyone unwanted popping up.

She had been wondering recently about what to wear on the day she married Sirius, having brought nothing with her for a wedding. Everything had happened so quickly over the last few weeks, and getting away from England had been their first priority. Maddy knew she didn't want it to be a casual ceremony, though, even it was only the two of them and whatever witnesses were required. Maybe she could shop a bit on her own and find something suitable later that day.

When they had finished, Sirius and Maddy stuffed remains of their food back in the bags and lay looking up at the sky. The more she lay there, thoroughly tipsy, she began to feel amorous and more than a little bold. She rolled over on an elbow to face Sirius. Before he could look back, she kissed him deeply. Surprised, he pulled her closer, but returned the gesture with sensual little kisses that teased her lips, barely touching them. People were strolling all around the expansive lawn, but the couple was ignored for the most part, with the exception of a few teenagers who smirked in their direction. Sirius's hands gripped Maddy's face as the kiss deepened. Finally, he broke away reluctantly.

"I think this will have to be continued elsewhere. Being arrested for public shagging is not on my to-do list whilst we're here. Not that it isn't vastly tempting."

"Oh, use your wand and create some sort of emergency. Everyone will leave in a panic, and we can shag right here."

Sirius laughed. "Be nice, wouldn't it?" He shot Maddy a wicked grin and kissed her once more. "Let's go back to the hotel. As soon as I've, er, composed myself, that is."

She nodded, looking him over salaciously.

"I won't mind if you don't compose yourself, though, and I'm sure none of the other ladies around here will, either."

He laughed. "Thank you, but I don't believe I want that kind of attention. I do want to rip your clothes off, though, and ravish you for several hours, soon-to-be Mrs. Black. We may have to find a place to apparate, though."

He picked up the bags, holding them strategically in front of him as Maddy giggled.

"How about there, in those trees? Maybe we won't be seen."

He craned his neck in that direction. "Looks good to me." They strolled over to the copse and disappeared in short order.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Dear Lord, you are the most desirable woman I have ever seen," Sirius whispered in Maddy's ear. He lay on top of her, covered in sweat from their previous exertion, and lifted himself up a little to take weight off her. "You know this is all I ever think about, right?" He laughed softly and took a hand to touch her face.

Maddy pulled him back down on her. "Well, you're not the only one," she said softly. "Being married won't change this, I hope. But that's what everyone says. Do you ever think about that? I mean, look at the Weasleys. Can you imagine them doing – ?"

He snorted. "They have seven children, my dear. They were finding time somewhere in between all the soiled nappies to keep doing it. You might use a different example, though. Not sure I really want to think of Arthur and Molly having sex."

"How about James and Lily? Did he ever say?"

Sirius slid off Maddy to lie down beside her, and she turned to face him. "Nah, not much. Guys don't talk about that sort of thing. I heard a lot more about his conquest of her than what happened once they were married. They probably still shagged like a couple of rabbits, though. Even with baby Harry, they still didn't seem to lose interest in each other the way some people do." He pushed the same stubborn lock of hair out of Maddy's face. "Don't worry. I'm quite sure we'll _never_ get tired of this."

"I agree," Maddy said. "Just something I wondered about. Sirius, do you mind if I go out shopping this afternoon by myself? I'm looking for something in particular."

"Oh! No, go ahead. Take your wand with you, though," he warned. "Not going to tell me what it is?" Sirius kissed her again.

"Maybe later. I may not find what I'm looking for."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

As it turned out, Maddy found exactly what she was looking for, in a small boutique close to St. Sulpice Church on rue du Dragon. The hotel concierge had recommended a few wizarding shops for such things, but Maddy, ever curious about muggles, had opted to check out a non-magical business first. Not one to agonize over a shopping decision, she had taken one look at a delicate strapless gown displayed in the window, and knew it was perfect. She walked inside.

"Vous désirez?" a saleslady asked. A pair of fashionable specs were perched on the edge of her nose, and she looked over them with raised eyebrows, observing her customer.

"Um, parlez-vous Anglais?" Maddy replied. She didn't mind speaking French with Sirius, but she felt more intimidated by a native speaker.

"Yes, some," the lady replied patiently.

"I would like to try that gown in the window on." Maddy pointed at the one in question.

The woman frowned, looking her up and down with a seasoned eye. "Ah, that is the only one I have currently, but I think it is not your size. It would have to be altered somewhat. But we have some other styles similar to it I think you will be pleased with. If not, it will be at least a few weeks to a month before that one might be ready. If your measurements are not too different."

"No, that's the one I want," Maddy said stubbornly. "I'll just try it on anyway. The size is fine."

The woman looked at her as if she were crazy. She started to protest at what was certainly a waste of her time, but finally shrugged. Maddy smiled to herself, knowing her wand would come in very handy with alterations. The saleslady got to work taking the dress off its stand, and Maddy wandered around the elegant boutique as she waited. She stopped in her tracks when she noticed something that would be so perfect with the gown, she had to have it. It was a velvet wrap, though it appeared so gossamer and whisper-soft that she was reminded of the description of an invisibility cloak which some of the Order members had spoken about, which they used whilst guarding the prophecy.

She walked over to it, touching the material almost sensously, and laughed to herself. Sirius would love to see her wrapped in this, probably as much as any negligée. He knew velvet was her favorite type of material. She picked the hanger up, draping the cloak over an arm, and waited on the lady to finish removing the dress from its mannequin.

"Here you are," the woman said, eyeing her doubtfully. "The fitting room is just there."

Maddy smiled and thanked her, and draped the bulky gown over her arm, balancing it with the cloak and her purse in the other.

Fortunately, the fitting room was expansive, with three large mirrors at different angles. Maddy snorted, thinking the woman must be laughing at her attempt to try the gown on. She pulled her wand out of her purse and set it down for the moment, and removed her clothes. After a bit of fumbling, she managed to pull the gown up around her waist. Of course the saleslady had been right; it was just a bit too small. But that could be fixed. Maddy picked up the wand, pointing it at the gown, and carefully repeated a spell she had heard many times whilst growing up. One to make things fit. Immediately, the delicate silk folds conformed to her, fitting perfectly. She held the bodice against her breasts, now using her wand to secure several buttons that trailed up her back, and decided to make a few more small adjustments. Then she stood back and looked at herself.

The gown _was _beautiful, with subtle accents of alençon lace and a chapel length train. A sweetheart neckline was adorned with a heavy concentration of silvery embroidery threads in an intricate design. A wide sash diminished as it wrapped just below her breasts, coming to a point with a beautiful design of crystal beading that almost resembled an heirloom brooch. Nothing _too_ showy, but very elegant. And the silk sash could be changed, via the wand, to velvet in the same shade as the wrap. It might be worth experimenting. Maddy smiled at her reflection as she arranged and smoothed the train behind her, and wished her mother could have been here for this. Her eyes suddenly grew misty.

"How is everything?" the woman's voice echoed outside the fitting room.

"Parfait," Maddy replied softly.

She noticed the wrap draped over an armchair, and picked it up, sliding the rich velvet over her. The color was unusual, and not very feminine. It was a muted green, almost like clover, though not remotely drab. She tucked the folds under her arms, noticing how the light made the color shift slightly as she moved, and nodded at her reflection approvingly. The whole effect was quite romantic.

A knock came at the door, followed by the same voice. "Mademoiselle? May I look?"

"Oui," Maddy said, smiling at her success. She quickly tucked her wand back into her purse.

The woman opened the door and stepped inside, gawking in surprise at the sight in front of her.

"What do you think?" Maddy asked.

"It looks lovely on you," the woman admitted. "I'm surprised I was wrong about the size, though. How on earth did you – " She looked curiously at the trail of buttons on Maddy's back, all secured nicely.

"I'm very dextrous," Maddy assured her with a tiny smile. "Now. I'll take this off and be out shortly. Do you think – " She paused.

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. I don't suppose you have anything for men." Maddy had the sudden inspiration that a velvet waistcoat in the same shade as her wrap would look perfect on Sirius.

"No, unfortunately I do not," the lady said, with a small moue of regret.

Maddy shrugged and didn't inquire further about one. It would be a small matter to take one of Sirius's waistcoats and apply the same shade to it, anyway.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Once Maddy had paid for her purchase, she ducked into a little side street, intending to use the wand to minimize her load. She quickly muttered a spell, then stepped back out into the sunshine with her reduced packages, feeling very pleased with herself. The warmth of the day made her feel as if nothing could ever go wrong, and she had already noticed her pale skin had picked up a healthy glow from being out of doors since Sirius had brought her here. It was nice not to have to worry about her brother, for a change. Thus far she felt no regret whatsoever where _he_ was concerned, and she wondered offhand if that was normal.

Turning her mind elsewhere, Maddy wandered at a leisurely pace through the upscale shopping district, and decided to make a pass through Bon Marché department store. She found only one item of interest, a camera. She bought it, along with a few rolls of film, wishing she had done so a week or two earlier when they had arrived.

She decided she wasn't really in a shopping mood anymore, so she left the store and continued her walk, looking for a place to sit and relax. _As if I need it_, she thought with a small laugh. After the day's events, she probably couldn't be any more rested. But there were things she wanted to think about, so she searched for a quiet place to do so.

Once she had settled down on a bench, watching pedestrians hurry by, Maddy fiddled with the camera. She loaded some film into it and snapped a few test pictures of her surroundings. As she did, she allowed herself to think of Lucius Malfoy. What was it about that horrible encounter that made her have a vision totally uncharacteristic to her? She almost wondered if it had been merely something she imagined out of desperation. _But it was so clear_, she argued to herself, just as the ones of Sirius had always been.

Maddy tried to recall some clues to her mother's methods of divination. Carol O'Hannon had done it in private, however, and wouldn't give in to any pleas from her daughter to watch. And Maddy had, of course, already tried many times when she was younger, but she had never been successful, at least until the Malfoy incident. What if that had opened some sort of door in her mind which, up until now, had always been stubbornly locked?

She continued to think about the things she had seen that day. Was Harry_ really_ going to be victorious against Voldemort? Even if he was, the implications were terrifying. The dark lord would never give up his power over other wizards voluntarily. Maddy paled, thinking what that might mean, if it was true. It _might_ mean a huge wizard battle, perhaps more than one. Maybe a war? _Dear Merlin_, she thought. And when might that take place? She thought back to the particulars of that vision. She hadn't actually _seen_ a battle. It was more of a celebratory feeling in the vision, and a simple headline in huge letters that jumped out at her, as if from the front page of the Daily Prophet. _VOLDEMORT DEAD! HARRY POTTER, THE MAN WHO LIVED. _

She stood up, suddenly anxious to see Sirius again. She grabbed her belongings and began to walk back in the direction of their hotel with those thoughts still weighing on her mind. By the time Maddy walked through the front door, she had already decided that she would make a vision come to her again, no matter what.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Madeleine?" a man's voice called from the bedroom when she closed the door behind her.

" 'S me, Sirius," Maddy replied loudly, holding a key in her mouth while depositing her bags on the floor with a thump.

Sirius's head popped out of the doorway. "Well, that didn't take too long," he said. He walked, in jeans but no shirt, up to Maddy and put his arms around her. "No trouble, I take it?" He observed her intently.

"Oh, of course not. The bad guys are nowhere to be found." Maddy's voice sounded muffled pressed against Sirius's shoulder. "Found a few valuable items, though. Mmmm. You smell wonderful, like you just got out of the shower."

"I certainly did. And are you going to share these items with me, Miss O?" his soft voice teased her earlobe. He began to nibble on it.

"Mmmm. Yeah, I'll share eventually. But what have _you_ been up to, Mr. Black? Did you have a kip?"

Sirius laughed. "Not at all. I've been rather busy, in fact. Had a few preparations to make, my dear." He broke away, looking curiously at her packages, and walked over to scrutinize them.

"Now, don't go snooping around," Maddy said, walking toward the bedroom.

"I won't if you won't," Sirius called after her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He followed her into the room. "Oh, nothing," he said innocently, but she caught a hint of smugness in his expression. "There's a thing I wanted to ask you about, though."

"What's that?" Maddy sank down on the edge of the bed.

"Oh, just that ... well, we haven't really talked about how we're going to do this."

"Do what, exactly?" Maddy asked, but she thought she knew what he meant.

"The wedding. I assumed it would be, well, just us and the bonding wizard. What would you think about inviting a few friends, though? I could reserve some extra rooms, which shouldn't be a problem this time of year. I was thinking it would be nice to have Harry there, if we could sneak him out of Hogwarts. And there's Remus. Perhaps he could be my best man."

"I think that's a very good idea. Fairly short notice for them and the hotel, though. And what about a reception? That would be nice, wouldn't it?" Maddy couldn't believe it hadn't occurred to them before to celebrate with their friends. The thought excited her. Celebrating with her new husband and their friends.

"Well, that's what I was taking care of whilst you were gone. I thought I'd go ahead and sort something out there. There was only one evening free for a reception, though, in the near future."

"When's that?"

"The twentieth of April. It's a Saturday evening. Would that be okay?"

"Oh. Well, yeah! Nice to know a date, actually. Better than winging the whole thing 'til the last minute."

"Good!" Sirius looked pleased. "Because I already sort of told Moony about it," he admitted. "I didn't really think you'd mind."

She laughed. "Well, who the hell am _I _supposed to have as maid of honor? It won't be Molly, that much I can tell you. Bless her heart," she added, rolling her eyes.

Sirius seemed hesitant now. "What about Tonks? You got to be pretty good friends with her. Unless you've another girlfriend you want to ask."

Maddy stiffened at the mention of Tonks. "Well, I don't have anyone close these days. Once I went off to Hogwarts the first time, I lost touch with the girls I worked with at Gringotts. And most female teachers at the school are quite a bit older than me. Then, well, everything else happened. But Tonks ..."

Her voice trailed off uncertainly. Maddy knew she was being ridiculous, but she had tried to avoid thinking of Tonks ever since Bellatrix had impersonated the woman. The thought of her heart-shaped face and pink hair was accompanied by a remembrance of the most excruciating pain she had ever known. She paled a little, and Sirius noticed her hesitancy.

"Well, that's your decision." He sat down beside her and put an arm around her. "But no one will ever hurt you like that again. And Tonks wouldn't want you worrying about it." He kissed her forehead.

"I'll think about it. Maybe that'll work. So," Maddy said, changing the subject, "La Tour Eiffel tonight?"

"Yeah. Want to go to the top?" Sirius grinned.

"Absolutely. I found something useful today and can't wait to try it out."

"What did you find?"

"A muggle camera and some film. It'll be a perfect place to try it out. Are we going to dinner first, though?"

He nodded. "Yes, let's do something informal, though. I'm not exactly starving after that huge lunch we had."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Right," Sirius groused as yet another tourist bumped into him. "Now why on earth couldn't we just apparate to the top and be done with it?"

They stood in the third and final line to get to the very top of the Eiffel Tower, and his patience was wearing thin at the delays.

"Because we'd frighten the crap out of everyone," Maddy said. "Be nice if they'd modify this place to accommodate wizards, though. Damn French wizarding bureaucracy."

Maddy had already flipped through the Paris chapter in _Travels in Wizarding France_ in hopes of finding a good apparition point to the uppermost platform of the famous landmark. Unfortunately, French wizards didn't seem as keen to make life easier for their foreign counterparts as the British were fond of doing in their own attractions. Thus, they were pushed and prodded by the surrounding herd of people as everyone waited on the lift to arrive. Someone made a mooing noise, and everyone laughed.

Finally, it was their turn, and they squeezed into the space until it was completely full. The lift began to groan as it moved, and Sirius whispered that a well-placed spell would speed things up nicely. Maddy snickered and nodded in agreement. But when Sirius reached for the wand inside his jacket, she grabbed his hand, stopping him. He shrugged innocently.

The lift groaned once more as it came to a stop. Everyone rushed off at once, leaving Maddy and Sirius at the rear of the lift, finally able to breathe. He took her hand and led her out.

"Now, _this_ was worth it. Merlin, what I wouldn't give to have my motorcycle around here. I'd take you up in it. Be a hell of a way to look at the city. We'll have to do that over London sometime."

Maddy peered cautiously over the railing. She didn't share Sirius' excitement about high elevations. The wind was blowing quite a bit, and she continually brushed hair out of her eyes. She had to admit, though, the view was spectacular. The Arc du Triomphe was lit up. It was a brilliant sun in the middle of the night, with rays of illuminated streets stretching out like sunbeams around it as far as they could see.

"Is that enchanted film?" Sirius asked, turning to Maddy. He leaned back casually with his elbows against the railing.

"This roll isn't." Maddy held up the camera. "I thought I might try it with a different roll, though, if I can find the spell. Never tried to do that before."

"Me either. Should be easy to do, though. Here, let me take one of you." He indicated that she stand next to the railing.

Maddy smiled as he took the picture. The flash blinded her, and she blinked a few times in reflex. A voice came from behind Sirius.

"Would you like me to take one of both of you?"

Sirius turned to see a middle-aged man smiling at them.

"Oh, yeah! That would be lovely. Where are you from? You sound American."

"We are. From Dallas, Texas. Beautiful place here, isn't it?"

"It certainly is. My fiancée and I are being married here. Well, elsewhere in France, I mean. Not Paris." Sirius motioned to Maddy, who smiled back at the man.

"Well, congratulations! You must be English, I guess?"

"We are. We live in Scotland, though. Just bought a place there."

A woman had walked up, and stood next to the man.

"I'm going to take their picture. They're getting married soon," he explained. "I'm David, by the way. This is Marie."

"Ah, well, nice to meet you both. My name is Sirius, and she is Madeleine."

The couple pondered his words quizzically for a minute, but let the unusual name go without commenting on it. Sirius smiled slightly; he was used to that reaction. They chatted for another minute or two about the differences between England, France and America. Then the woman noticed Maddy's ring.

"Oh, _that_ is just lovely. You have good taste, dear!" She nodded approvingly to Sirius.

"Well, I like to think so," Sirius replied with another smile. "How much longer are you here?"

"Only a few more days," Marie said regretfully. "I could live here." She winced as a chilly wind blasted through the platform.

Her husband snorted. "Well, I couldn't! I try to speak the language, but it's really starting to give me a headache. I'll be glad to head home where everyone speaks English and they know how to grill steak. Well, here, let's take your picture and we'll leave you alone."

David reached for the camera, taking it gingerly from Maddy. He stood back and aimed once, but paused, glaring indignantly as someone jostled him from behind. Then, steadying himself once more, he called out, "Smile!"

Sirius put an arm tightly around Maddy's waist, and they leaned into each other, smiling as the flash went off.

"Here you go," the man said, handing Maddy's camera back to her.

"It was very nice to meet you both," Marie said. "We wish you a very long and happy life together."

David nodded. "Yeah, congratulations and best wishes to you."

Sirius and Maddy thanked them and watched as they walked away. They walked around the top level a few more minutes, then decided to head back to the hotel.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So what did Remus have to say when you spoke? Did you send him a patronus?" Maddy asked on the train the next morning. She munched on some chocolate, watching fields of lavender fly past them in a blur of bluish-purple.

Sirius put his legs up on the seat opposite them and slid the compartment door closed for the third time.

"Damn door," he muttered, but he was in high spirits. "Nah, I used the fireplace in our suite. Moony's still keeping an eye on the house for us, and I found him there. He said he would be honored to be my best man, and would invite all the relevant people. Namely those in the Order. So I doubt it'll be a big crowd. That all right, love?"

"Oh, of course. I think it will be very nice. Probably not too swanky at this late date, but that's just fine."

Their train, a TGV high-speed express, roared past a crossing, and Maddy caught a glimpse of someone on a bicycle waiting behind the gate for them to pass.

She looked back to Sirius. "Fancy having it outside under the stars, if possible? Perhaps yours will be showing," she said with a smile. She broke off a chunk of chocolate and handed it to him.

Sirius thought about the couple in Annecy he had watched from his balcony; the twinkling lights in the darkness and clinking of glass as they were toasted to many years of happiness by their friends, and their first dance as husband and wife.

"I would love nothing more," he answered.


	34. The Crann Bethadh

"Monsieur Black ..." the hotel clerk mused out loud, squinting at her computer screen. "Aha, here we are. La Suite Cézanne. You will be very pleased, I think. Oh, and you are being married here, as well? Congratulations!"

"Yes," Sirius said. He leaned over the counter. "We will need to speak with someone, a Madame Rabot, I believe? To finalize our plans."

"Of course. I will make sure she contacts you tomorrow morning. I assume you have already had the civil ceremony? You do realize that the wedding here is purely ceremonial." She smiled.

"Well ... yes. We have already taken care of that, in England." Sirius said. He glanced toward Maddy.

She looked quizzically back at him. Then it struck her that this hotel, unlike the last one, was a muggle-run establishment.

"You know, when we got married at the registry office." Sirius gave her a significant look.

"Oh," Maddy replied. She started to say more, to play along, but the woman had moved on and was preoccupied with tapping away on her keyboard.

"Now! What is your name, madame?" the clerk finally asked, smiling at Maddy.

"It's Madeleine O'Hannon ... er, Black." Maddy wasn't sure whether to include Sirius's last name or not.

The smile faded and was replaced by another squint, now in _her _direction. "O'Hannon?"

Maddy nodded. "Yes. It's, uh, Irish." She wasn't sure why she felt the need to explain.

The clerk, whose badge stated that she was Madame Fournier, screwed up her face in concentration for a moment, then looked at Maddy once more as if in the hope of finding some clue in her face.

"Is there a problem?" Maddy asked. She looked up at Sirius, who seemed every bit as confused.

"Oh no ... no problem. Could you excuse me for a moment?" The woman sounded almost excited.

Maddy nodded and watched as the woman hurried into a back room. God, surely the British Ministry of Magic hadn't put out some kind of warrant for her. Had they?

A few minutes later, she shifted her weight impatiently. What the hell was the woman doing back there? Maddy saw two ancient room keys sitting in front of the computer keyboard. She longed to pick them up and just walk away. Sirius sighed in frustration.

"_What_ is going on?" he asked in a low voice, to no one in particular.

Just then the clerk emerged from the room, followed by a squat man whom Maddy eyed with suspicion. He looked as if he could be Dolores Umbridge's twin. The man wore thick glasses that made his eyes look unnaturally large and bug-eyed. They narrowed a bit as he observed Maddy. She raised her eyebrows, uncomfortable with this examination.

"Is there a problem?" she repeated.

"You say your name is O'Hannon?"

"And who are you?" Sirius cut in impatiently.

"I apologize," the man said, though he sounded not in the least apologetic. More, he had the ghost of a smile on his face. "I am Julian Depaul, the day manager. When Micheline told me your name, I thought you might be the answer to a little conundrum we've had here for quite some time."

"Me?" Maddy squeaked.

"Possibly," he said. "Madeleine O'Hannon?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Could you come with me, please? Back to my office. Micheline will complete the check-in process."

Maddy took Sirius's hand and stepped behind the counter. She looked around the office as she walked in, hoping it might shed some light on their presence in it. But it was rather generic, with only a few family photos personalizing a heavy wooden desk. Without a word of explanation, he walked to a side door and opened it. A safe sat on the floor, requiring him to kneel down. Flipping a dial back and forth with seasoned effort, he pulled down on the handle and opened the thick iron door.

Before removing its contents, though, he turned and looked speculatively at her once more. Maddy and Sirius traded another glance that indicated they both thought him deranged. But then he carefully pulled a box out of the safe and stood, holding it in front of him.

"Would you open this, please? You may not be able to. But I believe you can." He handed the box to her.

"Why _me_?" she asked as she studied the exterior. It was a small box with a Celtic tree of life carved intricately on the lid. Green paint had been brushed over the leaves at some point, but much of it had faded. Maddy felt Sirius's warmth as he stood next to her, observing it himself.

"I'll answer that shortly. _ I think_," the man added drolly. "Open it, please, before it starts up again."

Sirius flexed his palm unconsciously, and Maddy gave it a sidelong glance. She was apprehensive about the presence of dark magic herself, but pulling out a wand here wouldn't do.

"How long has this been here?" she said in compromise. Perhaps that would give her a clue whether someone wanted to do her in.

Depaul laughed. "Well, that's the amazing thing! We have had this box here for, oh, fifteen years, at least." He shrugged. "I accepted it myself. And it occasionally makes its presence known. So I wouldn't forget, I suppose. But please try to open it, and then I will explain."

"Oh, alright," Maddy said under her breath. She hoped she wasn't about to be touching some cursed object. _Fifteen years_. That would have made it ... _1981_? She looked sharply at Sirius, just as he looked back at her. He snorted softly in disbelief, and shook his head. Maddy got the feeling he had begun to solve this riddle already.

"Open it, Mad," he encouraged her.

She picked it up and pried the lid apart. It came open easily, and Depaul narrowed his buggy eyes again in speculation.

"Mon dieu! It _must_ be you," he breathed. "What is inside, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Why should I mind?"

"It clearly belongs to you, madame."

Maddy looked inside. A small leather bag, drawn with a cord at its opening, sat inside. She pulled it out slowly, feeling its weight, and looked into the box again before opening it. A lavender envelope was wedged against the bottom. Raking it with a fingernail, she tried to pull it out. It took several tries, but the letter eventually came unstuck. Maddy set it down, wanting to see the contents of the bag first. She used two fingers to loosen the drawstring, and peeked inside. Something glittered. Her breath caught in her throat. God, it couldn't be ...

She pulled out a pair of combs in an intricate silver design and sprayed with small emeralds and diamonds. They were arranged as tiny leaves of a tree branching outward.

"These were your mother's, weren't they?" Sirius whispered.

Maddy nodded and handed them to her fiancé for inspection. She wasn't sure she could speak at the moment. The last time she had seen these, she was a little girl, begging to wear them. She had long since forgotten they even existed. Sirius looked them over, then gave them back to her.

"Did you say your mother?" asked the hotel manager, intruding on her thoughts.

Maddy nodded. She felt the weight of the combs in her hand, and blinked back tears. Then she picked up the thick envelope, though she had no intention of reading it at the moment. Instead, she tucked it into the bag on her shoulder.

"So, what happened fifteen years ago?" Maddy asked, once she had composed herself.

"I was the clerk back then, working out there." He pointed through the doorway to the check-in counter. "A woman came in by herself. It was autumn, I believe. I remember it had begun to turn very cool at night. She said she had reserved a room overlooking the lake. There was nothing remarkable about her stay, and I am sure I would not even remember her, if it were not for what happened when she left a few days later. She left this box with me, asking me to keep it in the hotel safe for her daughter. I was a little confused. She appeared to be a young woman herself. I couldn't imagine that any daughter of hers would be old enough to visit us on her own. But when I said I would keep it for her, she told me it might be a long time. Then she told me a secret."

He lowered his voice, glancing outside the room, where Micheline was now assisting someone else.

"She told me she was ... _une sorciere ... une jeteuse._"

"She told you that?" Maddy asked. She couldn't imagine her mother revealing that she was a witch to any muggle. But _dear Merlin_, her mother _had_ been here. She suddenly felt like sitting down.

"Go on," she told Depaul. She thought of the lavender envelope and her fingers itched to rip it apart and devour every word inside. Not here, though. She contented herself by inspecting the delicate combs instead.

"Oui. She could tell what I was," the man continued, by way of explanation.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You are ... jeteur?"

"Not exactly. Dejeteur. She told me your name for it. Squib, I believe?"

"Oh!" Sirius exclaimed. "How did she know?"

"She looked ... through me. She told me things about my mother, who was _une sorciere _herself. I could not deny it. A very sad lady, I regret to say."

"My mother? Why?" Maddy asked.

"She told me she would be gone long before her daughter came to pick this up."

Maddy nodded. "She died in November that year." She didn't describe the details.

Something occurred to Sirius. "What if you had been gone? Who would know to give this to her?"

"She knew I wasn't going anywhere," Depaul said, smiling. "She put some sort of enchantment on it to make noise once in a while, just so I wouldn't forget her, nor the story behind it. I believed her. I knew you would come one day, and instructed the desk clerks to let me know if they came across anyone named Madeleine, or even O'Hannon. They all thought you were my long lost love!"

He cackled, displaying a mouthful of yellowed teeth, and Maddy had to smile at her mother's ingenuity.

"Well, go up to your suite, ma chere. I won't keep you any longer. I am just glad to have finally solved this mystery. Your poor mother, though ... Le Bon Dieu rest her soul. She was a dear lady."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Once the couple had made it up to their suite, Sirius used the ancient black key to unlock the door. He motioned for Maddy to enter, and followed closely behind her.

"Hmmm. Nice loo," Sirius said, peering into the bathroom.

"It's all pretty nice. Can't wait to look out there!" Maddy pointed to a large window, where she could see the lake glistening in the afternoon sun.

She was anxious to tear the envelope apart and begin reading, but contented herself by exploring with Sirius first. They both walked out to the balcony, where the view was glorious. A crystal-blue lake stretched all around the hotel, framed by towering mountains in the distance. But directly below them was a terrace with several tables and chairs. Most were empty, though a few were occupied with people chatting and drinking wine.

"Madeleine, read the letter from your mum," Sirius breathed in her ear. "We can check this place out together when you're done." He kissed her neck softly and led her back inside.

Maddy climbed on the bed and gripped the envelope, studying it quickly. Nothing was written on it. She carefully tore it open and pulled out a long sheet of parchment. Sirius watched for a minute, then went back out on the balcony to give her some peace as she read. Seeing her mother's words, written in flowing calligraphy, comforted her, and she smiled as she began.

_20 September 1981_

_My darling Maddy,_

_Well, I had to send you a wedding gift, didn't I? I'm hoping this reaches you with no problems. I wasn't about to keep it in our Gringotts vault, where William or your father might steal it from you. I put enchantments on it here to ensure that no one else would be capable of opening the box or taking it away. You may remember my little gift. I wore these on the night you and your husband met for the first time. Your father thought, predictably, that the stones were Slytherin colors, but he had no idea; at least he never bothered to ask. These have been passed down through my family for at least two generations. My mother gave them to me as a wedding gift, and now I'm passing them on to you. They symbolize the crann bethadh, or tree of life that our ancient ancestors revered. They will look beautiful on you, if you choose to wear them at your bonding ceremony with Sirius. This tree is such an important part of our heritage, bridging the gap between this world and the next. Roots that reach deep into the earth, and branches that stretch to the heavens ... they are all connected, though. Remember that. _

_Maddy, I must ask something of you. It's entirely my fault that you do not understand the sight. Merlin knows my own life has never been filled with much happiness, other than having you. Some seers think that the gift will make them all-knowing. But we're human, and prone to error as much as a person without this ability. I have made many mistakes; not so much from the things I've seen, but how I chose to interpret them. I always believed I was sparing you that heartache. Unfortunately, I've come to realize I will never see you as an adult, with a loving husband and children. It breaks my heart. But here is my other gift to you. Perhaps that's not the right word. But I want to tell you how to prepare your mind for the sight. It will be more important than anything else you will do, and you need to start immediately, and I mean as soon as you have read and understand this. I'm going to tell you how._

Maddy paused for a moment. _Now_ she wanted to explain the sight? Why on earth did her mother wait until her wedding, when she was consumed with so many other things, to bother with that? She continued to read.

_Every woman who sees things first did so by finding a place where they were most at peace. For me, it became the stillroom, with the scent of lavender hanging in the air. I didn't start out that way, but as I grew older and more mature in my abilities, I eventually gravitated to that spot. You will likely do the same thing, trying different places before settling on the best one. But for now, I want you to find a quiet location in this lovely place your husband has brought you, and clear your mind. Sounds easy enough, right? You might try the pontoon down by the lake. Not in the middle of the day, obviously. Early morning would be the perfect time. Whenever all is quiet and it seems that time is standing still. _

_Once you accomplish that, you take the person you want to see and ... well, the best way to describe it is to try to become them. That probably doesn't make sense. You want to take in every detail about that person. Therefore, the more you know about someone, the easier it is to do this. Let them take you over. At first, you won't have much control over what you see. It might be random fragments, vague little pieces of their life. Probably won't mean much. It's very important to keep at it. You'll grow very quickly with this, Maddy. Most girls don't have a vision until late in their teens. I didn't. But you saw Sirius when you were ten, and I realized then that you would be grown up before I knew it. I believe you'll be able to shape the sight how you want very soon. _

_Honestly, if everything in our world were just fine, I would rather you never bothered with this. Circumstances in your time are quickly arising, however, that make your ability most important. Pay attention to everything you see. Forget nothing, and invest in a pensieve, if you can find one. Keep it locked securely. Don't rely purely on your memory. Study any vision thoroughly if it seems meaningful._

_But anyway, seers believe different things. Some think that we only report what we've seen, no matter the consequences. Until I began to see things around you, I felt the same way. But I just can't sit by silently when it is someone I love, which is why I wrote to Sirius a while back. I trust he received that letter._

_Back to technique. This sounds easy, doesn't it? But really, Maddy, it involves some very intense concentration and focus. Don't be discouraged when it doesn't come at once. Keep trying harder if it doesn't work for you the first time. _

_You'd think I would have advice on being a good wife and mother. I don't, though. You don't need that from me. What I've told you is the most important thing I can pass down. Someday you'll be able to give up the sight, and I don't blame you a bit for it. You can't do it now, though. Please listen to me._

_Maddy darling, this is the last time you will hear from me. I have enjoyed my little visit here. Sirius has very good taste, by the way. I have one message for him: There's something he will be very tempted to do while you are here, out of love for you. Please tell him not to. It would be a grave mistake and may complicate matters further. Sorry I'm not more specific. But he will know what I mean. And that is all._

_I wish you both a wonderful, happy life together. With more love than I could ever tell you,_

_Mum_

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Mmm. Okay. I have no idea _what_ she means!" Sirius said later.

The terrace was almost empty of patrons now. They lounged at a table, sipping wine and snacking on dish of crisps and olives, a duo that Maddy never would have put together, but it was delicious. Sirius read through the letter one more time.

"Well, whenever you figure out what it is, make sure you don't do it," Maddy said, grinning.

"Honestly, the whole tone of the letter sounds a bit weird." Sirius picked up a crisp and munched slowly as he mulled over the contents. "But I think you should do as she says, especially since the other letter was so accurate."

Maddy shrugged. "Maybe I'll try in the morning, if I can get my lazy arse out of our bed early enough. Unless you have other plans for me," she added.

"I certainly do. They can wait 'til after daybreak, though.

"So," Sirius went on, "all relevant parties have been contacted with details. So we're on for the twentieth. Hopefully this Rabot lady can come up with something nice on short notice. If not, we'll just take matters into our own hands."

"What about the kids? Will they be able to get away?"

"I asked Remus to check with McGonagall. She'll figure something out."

They chatted for a long time in the afternoon sun, planning details of their future together, wondering when would be a good time to return to Hogsmeade, Harry's well-being. Sirius finally pushed his chair back and stood, stretching. Maddy followed suit, and he put an arm around her waist. Together, they walked up a path that led around the hotel.

oOoOoOoOoOoOO

That night, Sirius leaned against the stone wall of their balcony, listening to the faint sound of Maddy's preparations for bed. He heard water running, and pictured her washing her face. Doing the usual things just before bedtime, as she had every night they had spent together.

The cool air felt good in his lungs. He took a few deep breaths, and felt cleansed and renewed by them. A couple was wandering around the terrace below, just as he and Mad had done earlier. The woman wore a dress that swirled around her ankles, and the jewelry around her neck glittered in the dim light. The sound of low chatter wafted up to where Sirius stood watching them. She murmured something, and her companion laughed, putting an arm around her. They turned toward the lake.

Once the pair had shifted out of view, Sirius turned his attentions inward, thinking of the first time he had been bold enough to ask Madeleine out. His memories of that night were still vivid. The pub for drinks, then holding her close to apparate to Bath. _Merlin_, how beautiful she had looked. He had taken one look at her and immediately wanted to ditch Remus and Tonks, making the other couple fend for themselves. Remus would have been far too reticent about taking Tonks out on their own, though, at that point. Sirius hoped the couple had patched things up for now, at least. He knew Remus's pattern, which, fittingly, reminded him of a moon cycle, predictable in its regularity. When things got intense with a woman, he always backed off, pleading his illness and leaving her disappointed. A few promising relationships had gone south quickly as a result. Sirius thought Tonks might have a bit more stamina than some of those witches, but even she could take only so much of the Remus emotional roller coaster. He wondered if they had mended things again. If Mad felt comfortable enough with Tonks standing up for her, they might be nudged back together for another go.

"It's so beautiful here." A voice came from behind, and he turned to face Maddy. "I know I'm stating the obvious, and for the twentieth time, but I can't help it."

Sirius smiled. "I'm so glad you like it."

"Ready for bed?"

His gaze traveled down to the robe she wore, loosely tied around the waist.

"Anything on under that?" he whispered.

She leaned up to his ear. "Yes. Would you like to see it?"

The feel of her breath tickled his ear, and he forgot all about Remus.

"I would." He followed her inside, closing the door behind him.


	35. Unexpected Results

Maddy sat at the water's edge, breathing in the chilly morning air, and exhaling visible clouds of breath. She had seen someone a few days before, affecting a complicated yoga pose in this very spot. She tried to picture herself doing the same thing, and wondered what Sirius would think if he saw her; he would probably laugh. All the same, it might be a useful way to ease her mind into a state conducive to _seeing._

After her unexpected success at seeing Malfoy's fate, or what she _thought_ was his fate, Maddy had been trying for several days to hone the ability, with limited results. But she had been encouraged tremendously by her mother's words. Since their arrival in Annecy, the couple had remained at the hotel, and each morning while Sirius slept, Maddy would steal away for a little time to herself, hoping she could repeat the experience. She felt strange talking to Sirius about it. Though he understood her talent better than anyone else, his presence was more of a distraction. Albeit a very nice one, she amended. And in her fledgling phase of training, she needed as few of those as possible.

Maddy's mind drifted only for a moment when she looked down at her engagement ring. _Madeleine Black_, she thought. It wouldn't take long to get used to the name. She loved the sound of it. Much nicer than O'Hannon, _and_ it came with a very handsome and attentive husband.

_Get down to business_, she told herself, and shook off the mental image of Sirius naked. Her mother's words came back to her, and she repeated them in her mind. Maddy wasn't sure how she felt about _trying_ to see Sirius. She hadn't felt guilty before when it had been purely involuntary. But now, it just seemed wrong.

She tried to picture someone else instead; someone to whom she had no emotional tie, and therefore, hopefully no harm done if she saw something disturbing about them. No one came immediately to mind, however. Maddy thought of a few Hogwarts students she barely knew who had been in her Arithmancy class, and tried to conjure them up. But even this disturbed her a little. What if she saw something bad happen to them? How on earth would she handle it? She erased their images and replaced them with one she despised. Maybe seeing something awful happening to a person like Bellatrix Lestrange would make her 'gift' worthwhile. She settled on that particular witch.

After taking a few more calming breaths, Maddy closed her eyes. She continued to dangle the image of the disgusting woman before her, but a few minutes passed by with ... nothing, as usual. Maddy opened her eyes once more, disappointed with her failure. Maybe if she kept her gaze trained on one thing, she thought, perhaps it would work better; a bit more like hypnosis.

By now, the early morning sun had risen right in between two mountain peaks. Glittery diamonds shifted constantly on the surface of the water, and burned a path straight to the dock where Maddy sat. She began to stare at them, and after a few minutes, her focus faded, making them a shimmery blur. Through the clouds in her mind, she vaguely thought of Bellatrix once more.

The sound of deep, throaty laughter interrupted her trance. Maddy started violently, looking around in fear that Bellatrix was actually nearby. She was helpless, having left her wand inside their suite where Sirius lay sleeping.

But no one was there, other than Maddy and a few birds whose silhouettes could be seen flying low over the lake. She sighed and tried once more. Looking at the glimmering reflections of the sun's rays, Maddy lost herself in them again.

Everything seemed to grow dark, almost black, but this time, Maddy remained in her semi-conscious state, recognizing it as the beginning of a vision. She thought of Bellatrix, and heard the sound of laughter once more. Her mind's eye turned in the direction of the noise, to see Bellatrix running away from the inert form of Nymphadora Tonks, it appeared. Confused, Maddy began to follow the witch to see what was happening. The blackness, it turned out, didn't signal the beginning of a vision, so much as where it was taking place. She was in the midst of an enormous black room, about half the size of a Quidditch pitch, which lit up periodically with curses hurled in every direction. One area was heavily concentrated with bursts of light, and Maddy realized that Bellatrix appeared to be engaged in a duel with a wizard. She looked curiously in the other person's direction. _Sirius._

Maddy moaned, but didn't come out of her trance this time. She watched in horrified fascination as Sirius lunged and parried with ease, moving around in a large circle opposite Bellatrix. He laughed as she flung a curse and missed. Maddy found herself drawing closer to him. She could see the beads of sweat flying off his face, though he never lost concentration. His hair swayed wildly with each move, and when a shaggy lock fell in his eye, he shook it away impatiently. Bellatrix tried another thrust, and a jet of red light missed once again when Sirius ducked. He laughed in disdain.

"Come on! You can do better than that!" he jeered in challenge.

Maddy approached Sirius and Bellatrix as if watching two characters on a muggle television program. Another burst of light erupted from Bellatrix's wand, hitting him on the chest. Maddy screamed his name, but no one heard her. Sirius's smoky grey eyes widened in surprise, even as he laughed. She screamed again, and tried to catch him to prevent him from slamming against the ground. But the ground wasn't what he hit. To her horror, he sank backward through a tattered veil hanging from a large stone arch directly behind him and disappeared without a trace. He had uttered one word. Her name.

Maddy attempted to follow him, but when she tried to go through, she only came out the other side of the archway. Where the hell had he gone? Another noise startled her. Perhaps it was Sirius coming back. But it was only the veil, still swaying gently. Then the ragged black curtain sucked in particles of dirt and debris behind Sirius with a _whoosh_, and became completely still once more. Maddy was breathing quickly, on the verge of hyperventilating. She heard mewling whimpers, and realized they were coming from _her_.

"_Madame? __Ê__tes-vous bien_?" a voice was echoing around her, but the words were drowned out by the sound of Bellatrix's laughter. Maddy looked back at the other witch in time to see her whoop in triumph, just as Remus came out of nowhere and darted at the veil. In her shock, Maddy vaguely noticed a bright light on his wrist for a split second; apparently a reflection of the few random curses still being blasted around the room. She wondered what it was, just as he lurched toward the archway.

Suddenly Maddy saw two anxious faces peering over her, speaking rapid-fire French. Sirius was one of them.

"J'ai pensé qu'elle avait une saisie. Alors elle a commencé à crier. Je n'ai pas compris ce qu'elle a dit. Er, Serious?" The man shrugged.

Sirius looked up sharply as the man said his name. "A seizure?" he repeated in English. "Madeleine, darling, are you okay? Did you have – "

"S – Sirius?" Maddy whispered. She reached up to touch him, hoping he was real. An involuntary sob escaped her lips when she saw that he was wearing the same shirt she had just _seen_ him in.

"Oh God. I need – ah, I need – " The words didn't want to form in her clouded brain.

"What, sweetheart?" Sirius asked.

"I need a – bottle," she gasped.

"A what?" Sirius's brow furrowed as he tried to process this request.

"Une bouteille?" the Frenchman repeated. He looked at Maddy as if she were a crazy woman.

"As soon as possible," Maddy said. She took a gulp of fresh air and wiped tears out of her eyes.

Sirius had the presence of mind to tell the other man he thought Maddy would be fine, but if he could perhaps find a bottle, they would be very grateful.

"Une bouteille vide," Maddy added, making sure he knew it should be clean and empty.

The other man looked doubtfully at the pair, but gave a slight Gallic-tinged shrug that said _what can you do?_ and nodded. He lumbered off up the path to the hotel, and Maddy and Sirius were left alone. Sirius turned to her.

"What happened? Did you have some kind of vision? Are you really alright?"

Maddy sat perfectly still as she tried desperately to think up an excuse. _I saw you disappear._ How could she say that?

"Mad, I know you want to get better at this, but I don't want it making you ill. Are you going to tell me what it was about?"

Maddy's heart sank even further. "I – no."

Sirius was silent at first, watching her.

"Why not?" he eventually asked in a low voice.

She could tell he was hurt by her answer. The last thing she wanted to do was lie to her fiancé or keep secrets from him. But for now, her primary concern was to find out how to keep this event from happening. She looked at Sirius.

"It was about your cousin," she finally acknowledged, swallowing. Her mouth was dry, and she felt like dunking her face in the lake to quench her thirst.

"What? Was she hurting you in it? She was, wasn't she? Well, don't worry, dear. I won't let her ever do that to you again. I'll kill her first."

Maddy hadn't thought about this. Was _she_ the reason Sirius was dueling with Bellatrix? Should she attempt to see more to clarify it? The thought terrified her, but she wasn't about to let Sirius in on the details.

"I don't know. I only saw her and heard her laugh. I guess I'm an idiot for letting that frighten me." She laughed shakily.

Sirius kissed her softly. "No, you're not. You gave _me_ quite a turn, though."

Just then, the French man returned with a large decanter with a heavy glass stopper.

"All I could find," he told Sirius in French. "Je suis Victor," he added, motioning to himself.

"Merci beaucoup. C'est parfait," Sirius said with a glance at Maddy. She nodded and took another deep breath. Sirius introduced himself, and the man frowned at the name.

"Son nom est Madeleine." Sirius nodded toward Maddy.

The man was obviously curious about why the woman desired a bottle, but he walked away once Sirius thanked him again, assuring him that Maddy didn't require further assistance.

"Let's go inside, if you're using that bottle as I think you will."

Maddy didn't want to look at him, but she nodded briefly and let Sirius help her up. He held her close when she staggered a bit, but they walked slowly up the path to the hotel. Once back in their suite, he eased Maddy down on the sofa.

"I'm fine, really," she protested, but she wasted no time in yanking on the stopper. It wouldn't budge. Sirius took over, pulling it out with ease. Maddy picked her wand up, thinking of the way Albus had done this. Finally, she put it to her forehead and pulled out a long silvery ribbon of thought. She coaxed it into the decanter and quickly plugged it.

Sirius sank down next to Maddy, and he was silent as he stared at the swirling stream. Then he watched her face carefully to make sure she was still alright.

"What are you going to do with this?" he asked.

"I want Albus to see it. I'll give it to him at the wedding, I suppose."

Of course, Maddy had no intention of waiting three more days when they were to be married to speak to Dumbledore, but Sirius didn't need to know that. She decided she would persuade the older wizard to come first thing the next morning, if she could manage it. Hopefully, he could make sense of her vision.

The rest of the day, Sirius kept a close eye on Maddy, and she tried to act as though nothing was wrong. The vision haunted her, though. All she could think of was Sirius falling through a veil, saying her name. By that evening, after picking at dinner and staring off into space with minimal conversation, Maddy told him she was tired and wanted to go to bed early. Sirius nodded and kissed her tenderly, but didn't go to bed himself until much later. He sat out on the balcony for a long time instead, staring at lights whose reflections twinkled over the lake.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Early the next morning, Maddy slid out of bed and stopped abruptly. Sirius' breathing patterns hadn't changed. He was out cold for the moment. She heaved a deep breath and tiptoed out of the bedroom and into a larger room, pulling the door to as she went. Pointing her wand, she willed a patronus to appear. None did.

"Shit!" she whispered, and desperately tried to think of something that made her happy. Finally, a thought came to her, and she tried again. The large shaggy dog appeared, and ambled around the room, a silvery mass.

She summoned it to her. "Albus, I need to see you at Abbaye de Talloires. As soon as possible. It's an emergency! Can you meet me at the dock?"

Maddy pointed her wand at the ethereal dog, and it galloped off into nothingness.

She slunk down in a chair, feeling drained while waiting to see if Dumbledore would respond. Fortunately, a few minutes later, a patronus appeared before her ... a phoenix.

"I will be down by the lake within the next fifteen minutes." The ghostly bird disappeared in a flash of silvery smoke.

Maddy found a pair of jeans and the jumper she had worn the previous day, and put them on. Next, she grabbed a room key and the decanter, with its swirling contents, off the hall table and opened the door. Before closing it, she paused for a moment, listening for any sound that Sirius might have stirred. There was nothing but silence. She let the door shut gently behind her.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"You came."

"Of course I did. What's wrong, Madeleine?"

Maddy held up the stoppered bottle. "This."

"What is this, a memory?" Albus asked, squinting in the near darkness.

"Yes. A vision I had. I was trying to see Bellatrix."

"Trying?"

"I've seen a few things, right before we came to France. Mum's letter encouraged me to keep at it, to get better."

"Ah. What is this vision?"

Maddy's breath caught in her throat, and she began to cry. It felt good to finally let it out. Albus hugged her until the tears abated, then released her.

"I was trying to see Bellatrix. Saw something I need help with."

"And that is ...?"

"She lobbed a curse at someone. They went through a large stone archway and disappeared. It could have been in the Ministry. Do you have any idea what it might be?"

He frowned. "Possibly. May I look into your mind? Think about it, if you can."

"I can't stop," she muttered. "But, yeah. Go ahead."

Albus' piercing blue gaze penetrated her, and she could feel him shuffling around inside her brain while he searched her thoughts. The feeling stopped once a scene between Bellatrix and Sirius began to play out. When it was over, he looked away. Maddy felt a bit drained from the force of his mind.

"Yes," he said, speaking carefully. "It is within the Department of Mysteries. The Death Room, as a matter of fact."

"The Death Room." Maddy repeated tonelessly. How appropriate. She didn't want to know why Sirius disappeared, but she had to ask. Albus beat her to it.

"The archway is a means of ... death itself, I've heard."

Maddy felt as though she couldn't breathe.

"What have you told Sirius?" Albus asked.

Maddy looked wearily up at him. "I couldn't tell him. I wasn't sure what it meant, for one thing. Oh God, he's going to die, isn't he?" She was desolate.

Albus was stern. "Now, Madeleine, haven't I warned you not to put too much faith in visions? You can't know that."

"But they've been coming true. All those times I saw Sirius before – "

He interrupted gently. "Madeleine, you chose to meet Sirius in person. They would have come to nothing if you had only refused to bother with them. Don't you think _you_ made them come true? Not fate, I mean."

"Well, you could argue that all day!" she retorted bitterly. "But what about the house? I had never seen it in person before, yet I had a vision about us in front of it when I was ten!"

Albus decided to try a different tack. "Very well, but consider this. There is another room, in the Department of Mysteries, absolutely full of prophecies – probably thousands of them – made about different people over an enormous span of time. Think how many of them have never come to pass."

"Albus, I'm not going to ignore this just because it _might_ not happen!"

"But what can you do to ensure that it doesn't?"

Maddy had already considered that, the moment after she had seen Sirius fall through the tattered veil and heard Bellatrix's cackle of glee.

"I'll kill her," she said calmly.

Albus looked sharply at her. "And that will solve everything?"

"Well, yes!" Maddy exclaimed stubbornly. "She's the bitch who shot a spell at him!"

"What if Bellatrix kills _you_?"

"You think I can't take her out? _Merlin_, Sirius already thinks I'm a lousy fighter, and now – "

"Now when has he ever said that?"

"It's not that he _says_ it, but he certainly acts like it!"

"Okay," Albus said. "Suppose Bellatrix is in that vision because she had already encountered you, and you weren't able to kill her?"

"Well, that's impossible to know! But I won't let her get Sirius. She deserves to die, and you know it."

Albus gave up for a moment and stared at shadows of tiny ripples on the lake's surface.

She continued. "All I know is, I saw us with a child who looked just like his father. I couldn't have known that beforehand unless it had meaning. But you knew that, as well."

"Madeleine, bear in mind that I'm only playing devil's advocate here. You _did_ see Sirius when you were both children."

"Yes, but he was ten years old, not three or four! Don't even bother implying that I used an image of him as a child in some sort of fantasy scenario. I know what I saw, and it wasn't some dream, nor wishful thinking. It was _real_. And so was the one where he fell through the archway. How do you figure that?" Her voice cracked.

Albus shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry, Madeleine. I can't say. But you do understand how cloudy and, well, imprecise, divination is. I don't discount at all what you've seen, really. You have a remarkable ability. I'm just worried that if you try to change things you'll make them worse."

They were both silent for a few minutes.

"Is there any way to come out of that archway?" Maddy asked eventually.

"I – don't know." He considered his words carefully, looking down at the decanter. "That room has an entire team of wizards and witches devoted to studying death. My guess is, they've tried. But they are unspeakables, and sworn to secrecy."

"No books on the subject?"

Albus peered off toward the distant mountains. "Not for our eyes. But I'm sure writings exist." He looked back at Maddy. "Madeleine, please promise me you will stay away from Bellatrix."

"I'll do no such thing!" Maddy said immediately. "I can't promise something like that. This knowledge, gift, or whatever you call it, exists for a reason. If I can use it to somehow keep Sirius safe, I will do my best. I'll try to _see_ more. Maybe that will help."

"Or it might make things worse. See what this has done to you already?"

Maddy ignored him. "I'll do anything in my power to protect him. God, can't people just leave us alone?"

She staggered to her feet and stretched her legs. Albus noticed her drooping shoulders, and even in the dim morning light, he could see deep lines of worry on her face.

"Madeleine, would you do something else for me, then?"

"What?" she asked sharply.

"Sirius must be very concerned about you. You came here to be married and begin your lives together. Please try to enjoy each other. He will come to no harm here, if there's anything at all to that vision."

Maddy suddenly blinked tears away. "I can't stop thinking about it. He's upset because I can't tell him what I've seen. He thinks Bellatrix is going to hurt _me_. Maybe we could both kill her, at the same time." She laughed bitterly.

"Dry your tears, Madeleine. You're going to have to tell Sirius about this. You can't keep it from him. It's eating away at you."

He looked up at the sky. The dim light was growing brighter as the glow of dawn spread over the mountains like a halo.

"I'm going to have to go, dear." He cupped her face with one of his hands. "Promise me you will not let this ruin your time here with Sirius. Please?"

Maddy nodded mutely. Albus put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. It felt wonderful, his warmth against the chill of the morning.

"I'll walk you back up to the hotel. I promise you I will gather any information about that room and the archway, if it is anywhere to be found."

Albus kept an arm around her as they walked up the path away from the lake. Once they reached the door, he stopped.

"Everything's going to be okay, Madeleine dear." The words sounded wonderful, soft and comforting. Maddy wished she could believe him.

"Thanks, Albus. Take care." She opened the door and went inside, leaving him standing there.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Through the glass door, Albus watched Maddy round a corner and disappear from view. He turned around and retraced his steps halfway back to the lake. Stopping at a large tree, he waited. Out of the shadows emerged the silhouette of a tall, slender wizard. The man walked slowly over to him. The warmth of the morning light cast a shadow across part of his face, making him appear harsh.

"How much did you hear, Sirius?" Albus asked.

"Enough. She thinks I'm going to die in the Department of Mysteries." His voice was flat. "Killed by my bitch of a cousin."

"Well, then, you also heard what I told her. It could mean absolutely nothing."

Sirius wasn't convinced. "Jesus, I'm a far more competent wizard than Bellatrix!" He spat the name out. "No wonder Mad's so upset. Did you know I was standing there the whole time?"

"Yes. I wasn't going to reveal your presence, though. It's probably not my place to say, but I thought you had a right to know. And it did her good to tell somebody. I don't think she's going to rest anytime soon, though."

Sirius raked a hand through his hair impatiently. "I should tell her I know, then. I just wish she had told _me._" His voice held a touch of bitterness.

"You heard what she said. She wants to protect you, just as you would her. I suppose you didn't miss what else she said about Bellatrix."

Sirius nodded. "I won't let her go near that hag. Not a chance. Especially after what happened at Malfoy's. And I don't think Mad's a bad fighter, for what it's worth. She just has no idea how ruthless these people are."

"I beg to differ with you there," Albus said. "She witnessed it firsthand, after all. Perhaps you underestimate your fiancée. But I don't want her in that situation, either," he added hastily.

He looked closely at Sirius. "Are you all right?"

"No. I wish I'd never encouraged her to try the visions again. Not if they're going to affect her – and us – this way."

"I understand. She wasn't trying to see you, at least. Unfortunately, she picked the wrong person as practice." Albus gazed up at the sky, which was rapidly becoming brighter. "I should go now. I'll study this a while longer and let you know what I think. Sirius, take care, will you? Please try to enjoy Madeleine and your time here together." He put a soft hand on Sirius' shoulder, as he had Maddy's earlier. "You know how to find me."

He held the small decanter tightly in one hand, and Sirius eyed it uneasily.

"Thank you, Albus." Sirius said. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he should make an excuse to Madeleine, or just tell her what he had heard. When he looked up, the older man had disappeared with a faint pop.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius wasn't sure he wanted to go back inside just yet. He needed to think about everything he had heard. Dear Merlin, Madeleine had seen him go through that archway and disappear. Was he going to die? The thought terrified him. Sirius had seen the Hall of Prophecies before and although he knew that there was a perfectly good chance that many of the cloudy orbs' contents wouldn't come true, he believed in Madeleine's abilities.

Several choices sprang to mind immediately. First, he could opt never to set foot in that place. He wasn't sure why he would be there to begin with, unless it was somehow related to the prophecy. That was the most likely reason, though Maddy hadn't _seen_ that. But that was cowardly, and he felt guilty for even considering it. Plan B, a second option, was ... well, there _was_ no second option thus far. He would have to think about that. Sirius really wanted to examine the vision itself before making any decisions. Remus' presence in it might be a help there. Sirius would persuade Dumbledore to show it to him whenever they returned to Britain. At least he would be prepared then.

One more thing occurred to him. He now knew what Madeleine was so torn up about. No wonder she was devastated. Her track record so far had been very successful. Why wouldn't she believe this vision might come true, like the others?

A temporary solution to this problem began to wind its way slowly through Sirius' mind. It would ease hers, as well. _He hoped_. He only wanted her to be happy and enjoy their time together, and there was one way to make that happen. Not terribly ethical, though. He felt only slightly better as he walked up the path and through the door.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius closed the door to their suite behind him and crept silently down the short hallway.

"Sirius? Is that you?" Maddy asked, walking into the foyer at the same time. They both jumped.

"Sorry, darling. I, uh, noticed you were gone, so I went looking for you."

Maddy blinked. "Yes, sorry about that. I couldn't sleep, so I took a little walk. I'm sorry to have worried you."

"Mad – " Sirius began haltingly.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you go lie back down? I'll join you in a mo."

"Well, I'm awake now. Doubt I could really get back to sleep at this point."

"Humor me. I want to stay in bed with you for a while."

Maddy was surprised, but she nodded. "Okay."

She went into the bedroom and began to pull her jumper over her head. Then she peeled her jeans off and climbed under the down comforter. Sirius watched her from the doorway, then glanced at his wand on the dresser. He picked it up and followed her to the bed. Taking his own clothes off while she watched, he slid under the covers to join her. The sheets were chilly against his body, and he shivered. Maddy laughed, in spite of herself.

"I want to tell you something." He put an arm around her and drew her close to him.

"What's that?"

Sirius' gaze penetrated her as thoroughly as Dumbledore's had eariler. "I followed you outside. I saw you talking to Albus."

Maddy paled. "Did you ... listen?" she asked uneasily.

Sirius took a deep breath and exhaled. "Yeah. I heard what you said."

She began to sob, and he held her next to him.

"Shhh. Listen to me. I will not let that happen, you understand?"

"Sirius, what if you can't control it? This stuff comes true when I see it!"

"Yeah. You also saw us with our son. So if that's the case, I must get out of it somehow. Not that I think Bellatrix could defeat me anyway." His voice, while soft, held an element of disdain at mention of the name.

"That's exactly the sort of thinking you can't have, Sirius," she hissed, sniffling. "You can't just assume that there aren't factors out of your control!"

"True. But you must have seen that for a reason. If I find myself in that situation, we now have a way to prepare for it."

"Yes, by staying away from that place! Or maybe – " She broke off, not wanting to tell him her other solution.

"Maybe what?" Sirius asked gently.

Maddy's voice was faint. "Nothing." She hoped he hadn't heard that part of the conversation. He would never let her try to kill Bellatrix on her own.

Sirius looked at Maddy. He seemed almost regretful.

"I want you to do something for me, darling," he said. He touched her face with his hand. "You have to trust me, all right?"

Maddy wrinkled her brow as she wiped stray tears from her cheek. "Of course I trust you. What is it?"

A small sense of guilt and dread, growing stronger, had lodged itself in the pit of his stomach.

"Just relax, Mad, okay?"

"Oh." Maddy was surprised. She wasn't remotely in the mood for anything sexual, but if it would make him happy, she would do whatever he wanted, just now.

"Are you going to use that on me?" Maddy gestured to the wand, which he was gripping tightly.

Sirius pulled away slightly, then suddenly understood her meaning.

"Well ... yes, I am," he said quietly. He looked down at it, hesitating, before looking back up at Maddy's face.

"That vision ..." he said.

"Please ... let's talk about something else. I don't want to think about it for once."

"Just do it for me. Are you picturing it?"

"Sirius, don't make me,_ please._ I thought you wanted to make love."

"Just this once, Mad, and I'll never ask you to do it again."

"I can't stop thinking about it," she whispered bitterly.

"I'm going to help you stop."

Sirius raised the wand slowly and pointed at Maddy's head. Her eyes opened wide as she realized what he was about to do.

"Sirius, no, wait – "

"_Obliviate_."


	36. Rainfall

Maddy awoke to feel Sirius's arm draped over her waist like a dead weight. He must be sleeping hard; she felt pulses of warmth on her back every time he exhaled. She stretched her toes, feeling extraordinarily groggy, as if she'd had too much to drink the previous night. _Must have_, she thought, recalling the evening before when they had been down by the lake with a few bottles of wine. Her bleary eyes barely made out the time on the nearest clock, though the room was bathed in light. The hands indicated ten-thirty.

She bolted upright in bed, causing Sirius's arm to plop to the mattress. He sat up, startled.

"What is it?" he rasped.

"We overslept. It's already ten-thirty!" She rolled over to face him and sank her head back down on the pillow.

"Mmmph. Thought something was wrong. How are you feeling?"

"Okay. Why?"

Sirius shrugged a shoulder slightly and lay back down. "You ... fell asleep rather quickly last night. Out like a light, you know." His eyes seemed to search her own.

"Shit!" Maddy exclaimed, propping herself up on her elbows. She suddenly remembered something.

"What?" he asked quickly. He sat up again.

"Mum's letter, about trying visions. I need to get on that now. I've waited long enough."

Sirius pulled her close so that their lips were almost touching. "Listen. Why don't you wait until after the wedding?" He grazed her lips with his own. "It's only two days away. Then worry about it." They laid back down, and the kisses continued, ghosting over Maddy's face, then moving down to her neck, making her sigh.

Sirius whispered to her in between kisses. "Do you want to go out? Or stay here a bit longer? Just so you know, I think we've seen most of the sights out there." He waved a hand toward the window, then slid it under her body. "Personally, I'd rather make love to you, but it's completely up to you, dear."

Maddy stretched slowly, enjoying his touch. "I want to stay here."

He was satisfied the subject had been forgotten.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Let's stroll around for a bit before apparating back to the hotel," Sirius suggested that evening. "I want you to see Annecy at night."

He and Maddy had just finished dinner in a tiny pizzeria in the town, and were both full to bursting. Their table was outside under an awning, and looked over one of the tiny canals that threaded through the town. Sirius sat back in a post-prandial stupor, gazing out at the inky waters dotted by the dark forms of swans gliding by.

"Sure, if I can get manage to get out of this chair. If we eat like this every night, I'll have to use a new charm on my wedding gown," Maddy said. She drained the last of her beer and set the glass down, trying not to emit an unladylike belch. A cool breeze floated over the canal, and she gathered her wrap more closely around her.

"Is everyone coming tomorrow?" she asked. She knew Sirius had spoken to Remus earlier that day, but hadn't caught up with him on all the details.

"I think the Weasleys, Tonks, Remus and uh, well, that's about it. Oh, and Kingsley. Albus will be here Saturday, and McGonagall, who's coming via portkey with Harry, Hermione and some of the Weasley kids. They're going back early Sunday morning before anybody at Hogwarts is up."

"Oh, wonderful! I was worried the kids wouldn't be able to get away." Maddy thought of Umbridge, and an image popped up in her mind of the headmistress flashing a wand in her face. She blanched and gripped her glass before she could help herself.

"Mad, you okay?" Sirius frowned and leaned forward.

She relaxed her hold on the beer glass and tried to laugh it off. "Yeah. Just hadn't thought of Umbridge in a while. Talking about the kids reminded me of her."

The trip to France had helped tremendously in Maddy's recuperation from all the trauma she had endured, but she couldn't help thinking of Bellatrix and Malfoy on occasion, wondering what they made of her disappearance. She had managed to avoid thoughts of the headmistress, though, at least until now.

"You'll never have to worry about her again," Sirius assured her. "I won't let her come near you." He smiled and leaned over again, this time to kiss her. She returned it, softly.

"Want to take a walk?" Maddy asked.

Sirius nodded, and they pushed their chairs back. They strolled over the canal to watch the swans for a few minutes before continuing up the street and into a narrow alley that led to the village's main street. Maddy stopped midway and pulled Sirius over to the wall, where she threaded her fingers through his hair and kissed him deeply. After several moments, she stopped, and he leaned against the wall, holding her close.

"Well, that was certainly ..._ stimulating_, Ms. O."

"You won't be able to call me that in a few days," she whispered.

"Yes I will. The O can stand for other things. Y'know, for the times when you make all that noise." He kissed her back, but softer this time.

"Good point. I really dragged you over here for another reason, though. To speak to you."

"Really? Because I'll need a few moments, anyway. May as well talk."

Maddy laughed.

"What did you want to talk about?" he continued.

"Us. I assume most people have a standard premarital conversation."

"And the purpose of this meeting is ...?"

"The usual. Air grievances, you sign the contract stating you'll never look at another woman for the rest of your life. Attached via ball and chain to me from now on. Those types of things. Come to think of it, that part should probably be left 'til after the wedding. Don't want you scarpering beforehand."

"As if I would. Look at another woman, I mean. Or scarper. So where's the contract?" He pretended to look in his coat for something to write with.

"No, I'm joking, of course," Maddy said. "What I really want to tell you is, how much I love you. I – I don't think there's any way for me to say it so you'll know how much. Sirius – " She paused, thinking of the right words, and pressed her hand to his lips when he tried to interrupt. "I just love you more than anything. You've always been in my heart, even when I was a child. I can't imagine what my life would be like if you weren't in it. I want you to know that I'll always be honest with you, respect you, and love you. You ... you are so wonderful. I don't know how I managed to be so blessed. I just want to tell you I'll be a good wife to you."

When she stopped, he gathered her in his arms and held her tight. He kissed her hair. "Madeleine, I'm not wonderful like you think. I don't deserve you. You're so lovely. Beautiful, clever, sweet. I'll be a good husband to you, as well. You've no idea how _good_ it feels to know that, all those years, that you thought of me. No one ever came to see me in prison, except for you. Even my own mother wouldn't. And you are the reason I'm here now, and free. I hope you understand why I want to protect you."

He held her even closer to him, wishing she really did understand. An inconvenient thought had lodged in his mind as she poured her heart out, and some words Remus had once spoken came back, even as he answered her. _Do you ever think about the consequences of your actions? _

They broke apart and continued, hand in hand, up to the main street. Most shops were closed at this hour, and all was quiet, other than the odd couple here and there window shopping as they were. Well, all was quiet other the noise in his own brain that continued to chastise him. _You would obliviate the woman you love? What kind of man _are_ you?_

Once they had apparated safely back to their suite, Maddy prepared for bed. Sirius waited for her to finish, then brushed his teeth. He wiped his mouth and looked in the mirror, halfway expecting it to voice its displeasure with him as well. But it wasn't a magical mirror, and only his reflection stared silently back, frowning. _What, Black? No bright ideas now? You can't exactly tell Mad what you've done, can you? She'll never marry you. Damn, you think you were unworthy before...well, guess what? You'll lose everything._

Sirius slid into bed next to Maddy and put the light out. She snuggled up next to him at once.

"Mad, do you mind if we wait until tomorrow? I'm knackered."

"No. Go to sleep, love," she answered softly, and splayed her fingers over his chest. She was soon asleep, herself, but Sirius lay awake for quite some time, listening to her breathe.

_How could you obliviate her?_ he argued to himself. _Well, she was miserable; beside herself, even. And I couldn't let her consider going after Bellatrix. I won't lose her to that bitch. _

He wished fervently that James were here to tell him that it was all right, because Moony certainly wouldn't. Sirius could just see the cocked eyebrow and frown of disapproval on his face. _You'll have to tell her, Sirius. And before you go through with this. You can't just go around obliviating people whenever it's convenient for you. Your wife _especially_._

_I can't do it, _Sirius countered._ Or maybe I'll tell her, but afterward. And it wasn't convenient, it was necessary. I wouldn't hurt her for anything._

_You know this will come back to you. Albus knows about the vision. _Wonderful. Now Remus had displaced James as the new voice of his conscience. Sirius tried to mentally boot him out of his brain and conjure Prongs, who was much more sympathetic.

_No, I'm marrying her first. I'll deal with the consequences later._ Another thought stopped him cold. Could Mad have their marriage annulled? What if she was angry and hurt enough to do that? Maybe he should never tell her what he had done. Just let the guilt eat away at him, just as fear for his life had been doing to her a few days earlier.

Sirius closed his eyes, wishing for sleep, but it didn't come for quite some time. The first pale light of dawn peeked through the curtains before he finally gave in and drifted off.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy woke up to the sound of soft snores. Sirius's head was buried in a pillow, and once again, he seemed to be dead to the world. She kissed his hair lightly and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Walking over to the drapes, she opened them a tiny bit. It was going to be overcast today. She hadn't been thinking much about the weather, but she hoped their wedding day would be nicer than this. She looked out at the lake, where she could see the shapes of anchored boats as they bobbed lightly in the water. The long platform was deserted, with beach chairs neatly lined up in case it turned out to be a good day for sunbathing.

Maddy remembered her mother's letter, and Sirius's anxious request that she wait until after the wedding to attempt a vision. Well, what was wrong with this morning? He appeared to be out for a while, and nobody was around down there. She looked back at him, then grabbed a jumper and jeans that she had draped over the chair from last night. Her trainers were missing, however. After searching for a few minutes, she gave up and whispered the _accio_ spell for them, pointing her wand around the room. They immediately slid out from under the same chair, and Maddy sighed. She pushed her feet into them and grabbed the room key. _Might be better to take the wand this time_, she thought, then she paused. Where had that come from?

She shrugged to herself, and quietly stole out the door with her wand, padding down the hallway. Once outside, she went straight to the place her mother had told her about. Maddy sat down on the wooden planks and was reminded of someone she had seen practicing yoga here when they first came. She pictured herself in a downward dog pose and laughed to herself. Sirius might find that position very stimulating, if not amusing. She took a deep breath, tried to shake off a distracting image of him naked, and concentrated.

What exactly was she supposed to concentrate on, though? Her mother had been vague about that, as usual. The thought occurred to her that fixing her gaze on the stationary boats might help, since the sun wasn't really out today. She exhaled and took another breath, wondering who to attempt as a subject. Sirius was out, of course. Maddy was past the point of needing to see him, after all. An image of Malfoy, with his haughty sneer, appeared, and she stiffened. Absolutely not. It would be nice, though, to see someone who really had it coming to them. Malfoy was just a little too close to home right now, though she was irritated with herself that he still managed to bother her. Bellatrix, perhaps? Maybe that wouldn't be too upsetting, especially if she saw her locked away in Azkaban again, or something equally satisfying.

Maddy trained her eye on the gentle movement of water and shifting boats, and concentrated. Sooner than she expected, the morning light faded, replaced with black. Shiny black tiles, in fact. She saw bursts of color reflected off them, and, in her mind, moved over to inspect them more closely. The familiar sound of laughter made her turn around. Bellatrix was spitting on something. Maddy made her way over to see Tonks lying supine on the ground. The other witch had moved on, though, and Maddy watched her stalk someone else with her wand in a defensive posture.

"_What the bloody HELL are you doing?_"

Someone shook Maddy violently, and she gasped. Her eyes had been open, but unseeing. Jolted into the present, she blinked and grappled for balance as she turned to face Sirius, who was seething.

"I told you not to do that!" he shouted, and his voice carried over the water.

"Sirius – what's wrong?" Maddy blinked again several times, trying to shake off the image of Bellatrix. "You scared me half to death!"

He stood glaring down at her. She noticed his shirt hadn't been buttoned and his hair was still rumpled from sleep. He was barefoot.

"I _asked_ you to wait. Why couldn't you do that?"

She staggered to her feet, looking him up and down. "What does it matter? I need to know how to do this! And you should lower your voice."

"It matters," he hissed, "because ... well, what if you see something that frightens you? I mean, you _see_ these things, but you've no idea what their context is. You might misunderstand something."

Maddy rolled her eyes. "Isn't the point that I'm supposed to practice, to get better at it? Maybe this could be a really useful thing for the Order, if I'm good enough. Have you thought of that?"

"So who were you trying to see? Me?"

"No! Someone else. I'm afraid Tonks is going to be hurt. And perhaps I could have figured out why if you hadn't interrupted!"

"By whom?" Sirius asked, his voice lower now.

"Bellatrix Lestrange. She did something to her, but I couldn't tell where it – "

He gripped her chin. "Do _not_ try to see her, ever again! Do you understand me?"

Maddy wrenched away and glared at him. "What is your _problem_ all of a sudden?"

His voice escalated again. "My _problem_ is I want to protect you. I can't keep – " Sirius broke off.

"Can't keep _what_?" she asked.

"Nothing," he muttered. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you upset. Why don't you come back inside with me?"

"Well, I'm officially upset now. Thanks a lot!"

Maddy rubbed her eyes. There was no point in trying to see anything else; she wouldn't be able to concentrate if her life depended on it. Sirius held out a hand, but she ignored it and began to walk up to the hotel. He was forced to trail along behind her.

Once upstairs, she opened the door to their suite and flung the key on a console table. Sirius closed it behind him and followed her into the living area. He took her arm more gently this time and turned her around.

"Madeleine. I lost everything once, for twelve years. I will _not_ lose you, not to that worthless hag."

Maddy frowned. "You're not going to lose me, ever. Certainly not because of Bellatrix. Why are you so worried about her?"

"Look what she's already done to you!" Sirius touched the place on her back where his cousin had branded her. Maddy tensed. "See? What if you were to see something like ... Bellatrix coming after me? You'd try to get to her, wouldn't you?"

"Well, I've no reason to believe she's going to, for one thing. But yes, I would."

"I'm telling you to stay away from her, no matter what."

"You can't ask me to do that."

"Yes, I can. I'd lock you up first."

"Oh, Sirius, how medieval of you. Don't be ridiculous. You're not going to lock me up." She sighed. "What if you had known she was going to hurt _me_? You'd have done whatever it took to stop her, wouldn't you?"

"I'm more experienced – "

Maddy shook her head. "Always comes back to that, doesn't it? Yeah, I get it. You think I'm a pathetic fighter."

"I don't! You've just inexperienced. You've never had to do it before. I don't want to take a chance on something happening to you!"

"Yes, well, likewise, and you're just going to have to live with that. Listen – " Maddy held up a hand when he started to say something else. "I'm done with this conversation. I'm going to take a shower."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

No matter what Sirius thought, Maddy wasn't about to ignore her mother's instructions. She let the water pour over her and scrubbed her hair angrily. Flecks of foam scattered on her shoulders, tracing tiny white streams of soapy water down her skin. She still felt groggy from the disrupted vision, and the clouds in her brain had finally dissipated. What on earth was his problem, anyway?

"Mind if I get in?" Sirius opened the shower curtain, naked and holding a wand.

"Shower's too small," she said.

"I thought you might say that. There _are _ways to remedy the problem." Sirius pointed his wand, and Maddy almost lost her balance as the tub area expanded.

"Care to warn me first before you do that?" she snapped.

Sirius ignored her, setting the wand down over the sink before he stepped in. Maddy turned away from him and began to rinse. His hands covered hers, stroking the wet strands of her hair to remove traces of shampoo.

"I'm really not in the mood," Maddy grumbled. "In case you were wondering."

He took a bar of soap and stood behind her, lathering her back. "I understand. Neither am I, but I need to shower, as well. May as well conserve water." His attempt at a joke was met with silence. But he put a few fingers to the back of her neck, stroking it, and she hung her head to let him cleanse her. "Mad, it's just – after what just happened to you – I was terrified. I couldn't do anything for you, and I hate feeling helpless. I think those visions can be dangerous. Who knows what you might see?"

She turned around to face him. "_I_ think they've been rather helpful. And I won't stop."

Sirius sighed. "Fine. Please just wait until after the wedding, though."

"All right." She switched places with him so that he was under the spray of water. "I think this is what Mum's letter meant."

"What?"

"The thing she told you not to do. I suppose. I can't imagine what else it could be."

He froze. He had forgotten about that admonishment, and at a most inconvenient time, too, but he had a suspicion that Maddy's mother had known fully well what he had done. Too bad she didn't bother telling him how to fix it.

They both dried off and got dressed. Sirius peered outside, where it had started to rain.

"I think I'll go for a walk," he said quietly, and Maddy looked at him in surprise.

"In this weather?"

"I'll dry off soon enough." He stepped into the loo for his wand and slid it into his jacket. "I'll be back before long." He gave her a whisper of a kiss on the cheek and was out the door before she could say anything else.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Mid-April rain around Annecy decreased the temperature by quite a bit, and Sirius walked through the drizzle with hands securely clenched in his pockets, exhaling little clouds of breath. He paid no attention, though. The need to get out by himself for a bit, just to think about things, had become overwhelming since he had overheard Madeleine's revelation to Dumbledore.

Dirty gray clouds hung over the lake, making the mountains invisible. Sirius wished he weren't so far from Godric's Hollow at the moment. He could use a little imaginary parley with Prongs, but he wasn't energetic enough to apparate that far today. But the thought of speaking to Remus in the flesh later filled him with as much dread as a trip to the headmaster's office, so it was to be James. He recalled a place he had seen in Annecy town that would do. Slipping under a tree where he was well-shaded from eavesdroppers, Sirius disappeared.

He popped back up in the alley where he and Madeleine had stood the previous night. It had been a slight risk, but Sirius figured no one would be about in this weather. He exited into the main street and tried to remember which way to go. After making a few wrong turns, he spied a small church and adjoining cemetary at the end of a lane, and turned in that direction.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy stood out on the balcony, her hair still damp from the shower. It didn't matter, anyway, with the steady drizzle pattering down on her. Raindrops fell on the lake, resembling tiny needles endlessly pricking the surface of the water. The morning's dreariness reminded her of Grimmauld Place, for some reason, and her thoughts traveled back to the previous summer, when she had first seen Sirius. Maddy had all but shelved the memories of her early morning excursions back then, but when she recalled her secret apparitions away from London, and running along the strand at the coast, she felt a sudden burst of pent-up energy and made up her mind to do the same thing now.

Retreating back indoors, she searched for her trainers once again. They were sitting out now, at least, and were easier to find. Once she had put on the appropriate clothing, she was ready.

Maddy slid her wand up the long sleeve of her shirt and stepped out into the hallway. A maid was already about, vacuuming the carpet, and smiled as Maddy passed. She bounded down the stairs to the main floor and ran directly into a man.

"Oh! Uh, _d__é__sol__é_," she muttered, hoping she was saying it the right way.

He staggered backward and began to say something rude in French, but then realized who had just bodyslammed him. "Ah – Madeleine! Comment allez-vous?"

Maddy stared at him. The man didn't look familiar, but he appeared to be a hotel employee. She supposed she had seen him around here somewhere. "Tres bien," she replied after an embarrassing pause.

He continued in French, but stopped abruptly at her look of confusion, and realized she must not understand him. "Victor, remember?" he said in a heavy accent, and gestured to himself.

Maddy nodded, pretending she did remember him. "Oh ... yeah. Hi."

He wasn't fooled. "Le bouteille ... uh, _bottle_? You asked me for an empty bottle. Just a few days ago. You were screaming ... very upset. At the lake. You don't remember?" Victor acted as though she were simple. _Crazy Englishwoman_, his tone suggested.

Maddy shrugged. "I'm sorry. I think you have me confused with someone else. I don't know anything about a bottle. Um, au revoir_._" _Screaming?_ She stepped around him, continuing down the hallway, but looked back once to see him still watching her.

Once outside, she followed a winding path around the back of the hotel and through a small garden. The rain had abated only a tiny bit, and the chilly air made her breath visible in little cloudy bursts. A bicycle path began just beyond the garden, and she picked up her speed there, jogging at a slow pace for a few minutes.

She thought of Remus and Tonks, but especially Tonks. The events at Hogwarts seemed light years away now, despite the jarring recollection of Umbridge, and Maddy decided she would ask Tonks to stand up with her after all. She was really the only friend she had now, anyway, unless she counted Molly Weasley, who could be better compared to an annoying and meddlesome aunt.

Running helped to clear her mind, and Maddy picked up her speed again as she passed a stately house close to the lake. She thought of their home in Hogsmeade, and realized she missed it terribly. Good thing Remus was able to stay there and watch over it for them. Annecy was beautiful, and a perfect place for a wedding, but Maddy was ready to return home soon. Was she expected to keep a low profile whenever they went back? She didn't think Sirius was all that worried about the Ministry, at least for his own sake, but she did wonder if she was high on some death eater's shit list now. Especially Malfoy, after what she had done to him. She still felt a surge of pride at her grandmother and her little Gaelic spell, and she hoped that the disgusting wizard was still incapacitated by it. Trying to stay under the Ministry's radar was going to be beyond tiresome, though. Maddy resolved that when they returned, she was going to continue brushing up on defensive spells. To hell with Malfoy and Bellatrix, _and_ the Ministry.

Finally, she slowed down to a stop, and leaned against a wooden post. The lake was still visible from here, and clouds had begun to lift, exposing more of the mountains. Sirius had excellent taste, as always, and Maddy felt a rush of affection for his thoughtful nature, despite her anger at his inexplicable outburst earlier. So the visions were coming true, after all. She had no doubt of it. They would be married and someday have two children, at least one of them a boy. No matter what Sirius said, she knew he would be called Regulus, though _why _was still a mystery. She rather liked the thought of pieces that were missing from the puzzle, though, and was glad she had never _seen_ more than those tiny snippets. It made them coming true much more interesting. However, visions could be very useful for the Order. She would be sure to speak to Albus about her mother's letter. Maddy felt sure that as she matured in that ability, it would prove much more serviceable, not to mention unique, than how she wielded a wand in a fight.

Still, though. Malfoy's apparent disgrace in the future, as seen in her moment of desperation, seemed too good to be true. She wasn't sure she wanted to put too much trust in it, and Albus's advice to her, spoken many times, echoed that sentiment. _Merlin_, wouldn't that be nice, though? To see him locked away in Azkaban for good. She hoped they put him in Sirius's old cell. The other thing she had seen at the same time, though ... Harry winning against Voldemort? It was really just a fleeting image of a headline in the _Prophet, _and if Malfoy's fate was too good to be true, well, this would be just unbelievable. Maddy loved Harry and hoped he would let her act as godmother when she married Sirius, but him against _Voldemort_? And winning? She wasn't about to put any blind trust in that one, either.

Maddy looked at her watch and realized she had been gone longer than she meant to be. The rain, as if on cue, came down more heavily now, and she looked up, wondering wryly if a dark cloud had settled just over her. She didn't feel much like running now, and was chilled from her wet clothing. Looking around her, she tried to find a good spot to apparate back to the room, but nothing seemed adequate. She finally settled on walking in the rain. It felt good to be away from Sirius for a bit, anyway, just to process and analyze thoughts she had filed away for a while. Despite the inclement conditions, she felt rejuvenated, and her anger with him had dissolved.

Finally she could see the hotel ahead, and picked up her speed one last time. She raced until she had reached the front door, then stopped in front of it, chest heaving. Two men and a woman stood just inside, and Maddy recognized Sirius and Remus. She had no idea who the woman was, though. She opened the door, and they turned to look in her direction.

"Mad! You're soaked!" Sirius kissed her, his lips warm against hers. "Where've you been?"

"Just went for a run," Maddy answered, still a bit breathless. "Hello, Remus! I'd hug you, but I think I need another shower first."

The woman walked up next to Remus, and Maddy looked closely at her. Before Remus could respond, she spoke.

"Wotcher, Maddy!"

"Tonks?" Maddy looked her up and down. She had completely changed her appearance, and now had sleek black hair that hung straight down her back. "You look like ... oh, who's that muggle singer? Wait ... Cher!" She laughed at the resemblance, and Tonks grinned.

"Thought I'd try something a bit different than the usual," she answered. She looked around the lobby. "Beautiful place here. We can't wait for tomorrow!"

"Hello, Maddy. You look lovely, as always," Remus said, his eyes twinkling.

She snorted. "Right! Think I'll clean up first. Then you can say it. How are you?"

"Very well," he said, though his smile faded a little and he seemed pale. Maddy remembered the approaching full moon next week, and assumed that was the reason.

She took Sirius's hand briefly. "I'm going to change and clean up a bit. Maybe we can get some lunch after that?" She glanced back at Remus and Tonks, still disconcerted by the woman's ease in changing her appearance.

"Sure," Sirius said. "I told them we should wander around Annecy for a bit, before the others get here. I'll go with you. Your room's taken care of," he said, turning back to Remus.

The other wizard tried to object, but Sirius shook his head. "Everyone else's is, as well. Don't bother. Just get the keys." He clapped Remus on the back. "We'll meet back here in an hour or so, then we can catch up. Sound good?"

Tonks answered for him. "Absolutely!"

Sirius set off for their room along with Maddy, leaving the other two to get settled in.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Once they were back in their suite, Maddy peeled off her wet clothing and shivered.

"Where did you go?" Sirius asked.

"I felt like running, so I got on the path next to the lake. Bloody hell, it's freezing in here!"

She walked into the bathroom, and soon Sirius heard the sound of a shower at full blast. He followed her in, but leaned against the doorway. Behind the shower curtain, she rinsed off quickly, then let hot water pour over her until the chill was gone. She slid the curtain aside and started when she saw Sirius looking at her.

"Oh! Didn't know you were standing there. Need to use the loo?"

"No. I need to talk to you, actually." His pulse quickened and he looked down. This was James's idea. Sirius had hoped to get out of doing this before the wedding took place, but his conscience refused to cooperate. Best just to get it over with and hope she would forgive him. James had assured him of that, at least. Sirius wasn't about to tell her the whole story of the vision's contents, though. Not right now.

"About what?" Maddy had wrapped one towel over her hair after drying off, and another one around her body. She was busy scraping the dregs of moisturizing cream from the bottom of a jar. She spread it over her face.

"Something I did. I need to apologize."

Maddy looked at him. "This morning, you mean?"

"Well ... no. Yesterday morning."

"Almost forgot, I ran into some bloke named Victor on my way out, who insisted that I was screaming down at the lake the other day and asking for a bottle. Can you believe that?" She grinned. "I suspect he's a nutter."

Sirius had already forgotten about Victor's presence. Jesus, it was probably too late to back out now. Maybe.

"You know what? We can talk about it later, after meeting Remus and Tonks."

"No, tell me now. What's wrong?" She released the towel and grabbed a comb and began to smooth out the tangles in her hair.

He tried to think how to start. "Madeleine, you were practicing divination. Down at the lake a few mornings back."

She frowned. "No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were." Sirius was gentle but insistent. "Something upset you, badly." He sighed, wanting desperately to get this over with, but he couldn't exactly rush the explanation.

"Sirius, what are you talking about?"

"It's why I ... well, I woke up this morning and you were gone. I knew you were going to try it again. I was afraid of what you'd see. And you _were_ doing it. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

She put the comb down and turned to him. "There was no vision, Sirius! Not from the other day. I tried to concentrate a few times after Mum's letter, but never really got anywhere with it 'til this morning. You're wrong."

"Mad, it upset you so badly you spoke to Albus about it yesterday morning."

"Am I in some bizarro world or something? I had no vision a few days ago!"

He took a deep breath. "You did. I know because I obliviated it."

This stopped her cold. "What?"

Sirius put a hand on her shoulder. "Mad, you were distraught. That Victor bloke ... he found you screaming. He thought you were having a seizure. You were screaming ..." _my name_, he wanted to say, but he couldn't tell her that much. The words froze in his throat.

"You couldn't do that." Maddy shook her head and stepped back. His hand fell to his side.

"I panicked. I couldn't calm you down. You wouldn't tell me what it was about, but it was eating away at you. I went after you yesterday morning, thinking you were going to try and see more. But you were meeting Albus. I heard everything you said."

"Would you like to share it, since it no longer exists in my memory?" Her shock began to thaw out, heated by fierce anger that was taking over.

"Bellatrix hurt someone."

"Tonks, you mean. You obliviated me over _that_? For crissakes, can't we just warn her?"

Sirius wanted to say yes. But he didn't think she would really believe it. "No. Somebody else was hurt. Please don't ask me any more about it."

"Don't fucking ask you? You're the one who took it away!"

"And I only did because you were miserable. I couldn't stand seeing you that way!"

"So next time I see something unpleasant, you'll just obliviate me again, so I'll be nice and _happy_?"

"I was afraid for you," he explained, desperate for her to understand. "Mad, we're being married tomorrow!"

"I am aware of that, yes."

Sirius ignored her sarcastic tone and went on. "I was afraid you would be so upset and worried that you wouldn't enjoy the day. And to be honest, your mother was a real _git_ for even suggesting doing this before our wedding."

His characterization of Carol O'Hannon made her even angrier, and she shoved aside the annoying kernel of truth to that statement.

"Leave my mum out of it, if you please!"

"Fine. I'm telling you, I'm sorry. I will never do it again. But please listen to me, Madeleine, do not attempt to see anything. Not right now, anyway. Okay?"

"Sorry? Guess I ought to thank you for telling me now! At least you didn't wait 'til after the wedding to drop that little bombshell."

"I was going to," he admitted. "That would have been wrong, though."

"Wrong, huh? Well -" She broke off as she thought of something else. "What about the bottle? What's that mean?"

"The bottle is where you preserved the memory."

"Ah. And where is this bottle?"

"Albus has it. You gave it to him."

The thought that she could remember absolutely none of that whole episode infuriated Maddy.

"Tell you what. You, Remus and Tonks go to Annecy by yourselves. I wouldn't be very good company just now. I need to think."

Sirius stared at her, and his heart sank even lower. He had wondered if this was coming. Perhaps James was wrong, after all. She might never forgive him for this.

"No. Please come with me, Mad."

She shook her head. "I want to be alone. Give them some excuse for me."

He looked at her, silently pleading for her to understand. But Maddy said nothing further, and looked away as if to dismiss him. He put his wand into a pocket of his coat and walked out.


	37. An Evening in April

"What happened to Maddy?" Remus asked downstairs a few minutes later.

"She isn't feeling well, actually," Sirius answered. "She said the three of us could go on." He looked away.

Remus nodded, but didn't pursue the subject. He knew Sirius well enough to tell that _something_ had happened in the short amount of time since he had last seen them.

"So! Ready to go?" Sirius asked.

Tonks looked to Sirius, who usually didn't sound quite _that_ chipper, and then to Remus. She wasn't fooled either. "You know, we don't have to go just now. Why don't you two catch up for a bit, and we'll meet again later? Perhaps Maddy will be feeling better then."

Sirius started to speak, but Remus interrupted. "She's right. We'll go into town later today. Hopefully the weather will have improved by then, anyway." He brushed his lips to Tonks's cheek. "Are you going up to the room?"

"Yeah, I think so. What's your room number, though, Sirius? I might go check on Maddy."

"Oh. It's the Cezanne Suite on the second floor." Sirius seemed none too sad to be forgoing another trip into Annecy. He glanced outside, where a steady drizzle continued to fall.

Tonks left, and Remus and Sirius were alone.

"Let's find a place to sit," Remus said.

"There's a bar down that way, with some tables." Sirius began to walk in that direction, and Remus ambled along, looking around with interest as he followed him.

They walked into a lounge, empty this time of morning, and sat at a small table. Remus didn't waste any time getting to the point.

"Maddy's still worked up about that vision, isn't she?"

Sirius looked at him. "What do you know about it?"

"Albus showed it to me."

"Why did he do that?" Sirius was surprised.

"Obviously, he thought it was important. We don't want _that_ happening to you, do we?" He smiled faintly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I wish we had more details, though."

"You really believe that Bellatrix – "

"I know she'd be more than willing. Doesn't exactly show much restraint, does she? And it's best to be prepared. It made perfect sense for Albus to let me see it, since I was there. So, how's Maddy dealing with it? He said it really bothered her."

"Well, there's a story to that."

Remus twisted a corner of his lip upward. "How am I not surprised?"

"I suppose I am to blame. I didn't know what to do. She was worried to death about me. Not only that, she told Albus that killing Bellatrix would be a perfect way to keep it from coming true. Do you really think I'll let her try that?"

"No, I don't. What'd you do, Sirius?"

"I kept thinking how our wedding day was going to be ruined, all because of fucking _Bellatrix_. She has a talent for wrecking my life, apparently. I saw one solution that, admittedly, I didn't think through very well. But I thought it would work. I obliviated the memory."

Somehow, Remus didn't appear too surprised. "Ah."

"Is that all?"

"All what?"

"All you're going to say?"

"Sirius, come on. I know you very well, probably better than your fiancée. When you care about someone, you have this need to make it all better. You can't stand to see those you love hurt. I'm not surprised at all. You're a bit too impulsive at times, but there are far worse faults."

"Thanks. You disapprove, though."

"Don't be putting words in my mouth. That vision came at a very bad time, and with no simple solution. What you did, considering the circumstances," he said, looking around the room, "was probably for the best. Short-term, anyway. She has a right to that memory, though."

"Yes, I know that!" Sirius said impatiently. "I didn't do it for _fun_. But Remus, if this is what being a seer is like, I'm afraid it will drive her insane!"

"I begin to see why her mother wanted her to have no part of it," Remus said, nodding. "You'd definitely have to have an iron constitution. However, Albus thinks that if she can manage to divorce herself from the things she sees, they could perhaps be helpful to us. At this point, she's so new to it – inexperienced – and only tried to see Bellatrix. I can just imagine what a nasty shock it was when you turned up. _And_ Dora," he added grimly.

"Does Tonks know?" Sirius asked. "The part about herself?"

"Yeah. Like us, she should be prepared." Remus was silent for a moment. "So why is Maddy upset now, if you erased it all?"

"I felt guilty. I told her what I'd done. I really wanted to wait 'til after the wedding. Couldn't do it, though. But I did _not_ tell her all the contents. Not yet, anyway."

"And now she's angry with you."

"Yes. Probably packing as we speak," he said bitterly.

Remus laughed.

"I'm not joking!"

"Now, Sirius. You don't really believe she'd leave you over _that_?"

"She said she needed to _think_. Probably of ways to kill me herself. Or where to apparate from here to get away from me."

"Sirius, you know how much she loves you. Did it ever occur to you that you're both probably a bit nervous about tomorrow? I'm sure she's on edge about it, and that little revelation didn't help any. She'll think about things and I am confident she will get over her anger, as long as you don't keep the truth from her for long."

"I don't know," Sirius said. He still sounded morose.

"Trust me."

"I hope you're right. You should do this for a living." He attempted a smile.

Remus laughed, though. "True. I ought to start charging for advice. I could make a fortune, just off you. Why don't you go check on her?"

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius wasn't the only person in the habit of dueling with his conscience. Maddy had been stalking the confines of their suite like a caged lioness, seething at the injustice of having an important memory obliviated, _just like that. _Sirius was treating her like a child, and it chafed her.

_Oh, for the love of Merlin, give it a rest, _her inner voice chimed in. _He felt helpless. The man loves you._

_Be nice if __I_ _actually knew what was so bad about the vision,_ she snarled back. _Maybe I should try it again._

_You really _are_ being childish. It wasn't good, obviously. No need to dwell on it and ruin tomorrow, which happens to be a rather important day._

_Well, maybe the wedding should have been postponed if something horrible is going to happen._

_Oh, come on. You're going to let Voldemort and his merry band of wankers run your life? And who knows when it would happen anyway? Assuming it actually _does_ happen._

_Well, you don't just go around obliviating people you care about. What if he does it again?_

_Do you hear yourself? Not even a year ago, you did something quite similar to him. Legilimency ring any bells? Getting into his head? At least he had a solid reason for erasing the scene from your memory. And he wasn't going to keep it from you forever. Give him some credit for trying to fix what he did, at least. He had to know you were going to be angry about it. Probably thinks you're going to leave him now. Oh, and another thing. He could've thrown the legilimency thing back at you, but he didn't. So there!_

_He can't think that I'd leave him because of this! _Maddy opted not to address the other issue.

_Think about it. He's had very little family that ever cared for him, other than three blokes he went to school with. And one of them betrayed him. You're lucky he trusts anyone. In fact, you're bloody fortunate that he's halfway normal at all, considering he spent twelve years practically in solitary confinement because he trusted that person. Knowing he was hated by everyone in our world. He could've died there or gone insane, you know. I think he's remarkably well-adjusted now, considering. If the man wants to be overprotective of someone he loves,_ you_, in other words, at least try to understand. And what if your positions were reversed?_

_I knew you were going to say that. And I wish more than anything he'd had a happy life before we met. But do I not have a right to be upset? Even for a little while? _

_Yes. But then you tell him you love him, and that it's all right. Worry about the damn vision some other time. You'll see it eventually._

_It's not all right!_ groused the part of Maddy that was still in high dudgeon.

_It had better be all right very soon. You don't want to be a queen bitch on your wedding day, do you?_

Maddy looked down at her engagement ring. It occurred to her just how short their engagement had been. Sirius had given this to her a little over a month before, on a blustery evening in March. A niggling feeling of self-doubt crept up out of nowhere. _What if this is too soon?_

But she already knew the answer. _No, this is right. I want to be his wife._

Maddy spied the letter her mother had written, folded up and placed on a writing table. She didn't need to examine the contents, having memorized most of it already. Sirius was correct; her mother could have exercised a littlemore restraint in her advice, to put it mildly, and she came across as slightly meddlesome. Even so, Maddy felt an acute longing for the woman, and was pleased with her inventiveness in communication. And she had the beautiful combs for an heirloom, which should match her gown perfectly. They were secure in their box, under a spell to prevent anyone else taking them.

She opened her handbag, rifling through it until she pulled out a tiny bag. She had bought this in Paris. It wasn't much, just a plain thick platinum band, but as of the following night, Sirius would wear it in honor of his commitment to her, to show that they were now a family.

Well, he had some faults; who didn't? But he was loyal and kind, affectionate and witty, and she knew beyond a doubt that he loved her. And he had the grace to admit his mistakes. Maddy looked outside. Rain still pattered down, but the sky was brighter now. Maybe she should take a boat over to Annecy and find the others after all.

Someone knocked on the door. Maddy put the ring back in her purse and went to see who it was.

"Wotcher, Maddy!" Tonks said for the second time that day. "Mind if I come in?"

"No! Please do." Maddy held the door open, and Tonks strolled in, the curtain of sleek hair swaying behind her. "I thought you lot were in Annecy."

"Nah. We decided it could wait until you felt like going." She observed Maddy shrewdly, then looked around. "Well, this is impressive! Personally, I think you should just buy this place and let us all come and stay whenever we please."

Maddy laughed. "Wouldn't that be nice? Actually, I'm anxious to get home. We've had a lovely time here, though."

"Yeah, you and Sirius put the honeymoon before the wedding, didn't you?" She grinned.

"I suppose we did."

"Everything okay with you, Mad?"

Maddy paused. "Yeah." She didn't really want to talk about it. "Tonks, I know this is really short notice, but would you mind being my maid of honor?"

"Are you joking? Of course not! I was so worried you wouldn't want to speak to me, after everything that happened."

"Oh good Lord, don't be silly." Maddy smiled with relief. "And with Remus as Sirius's best man ..."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Be nice if that gave Remus a few ideas, but it probably won't."

"You on or off again?"

"On, for now. At least 'til the full moon next week." Tonks looked her up and down and decided to change the subject. "Well, let's see it!"

Maddy frowned. "See what?"

"The gown, silly goose! Model it for me."

"Oh, yeah. It's in the closet here."

She opened up a door and pulled out a large bag, and the velvet wrap. Laying it down on the bed, she unzipped it and took the gown out. Tonks gently fingered the white silk and pale green velvet bodice, which Maddy had magically added to match the wrap. "Mad, this is gorgeous. You will be so beautiful. Put it on," she ordered.

Maddy thought of the combs. "I have something else to show you first." She grabbed her wand and opened a dresser drawer. When she pulled out the gift from her mother and explained its origins, Tonks was misty-eyed.

"You mean your mum left this for you all these years? Here?" She wiped an eye with her finger. "She must have been a lovely lady."

Maddy felt herself getting teary-eyed, as well. "Don't make me start up!" she said, laughing as she wiped her own eyes. "Right. I'll be back."

She picked up the bulky gown and took it into the next room. After several minutes of struggling with it, she admitted defeat and emerged holding the back together with one hand.

"Forgot the wand. Can you help?"

"Dear Merlin. Maddy, you are lovely." Tonks whipped out her own wand, and Maddy was buttoned up in short order. "Here. Let me have at those." She took the combs and, after a few more movements with the wand, had styled her hair in a loose up-do so that showed them off nicely.

"Jesus, Tonks. I should've known how handy you'd be with hair styling. You'll have to do this again tomorrow."

Maddy went to the nearest mirror. Her anger with Sirius had finally ebbed, and now she admired herself, swishing the gown back and forth. This was the first time she had tried it on since buying it. She turned back to Tonks, who was no longer looking at her, but behind her, wearing a huge grin once more.

"Come in here and observe your bride!" she called out.

Maddy turned to see Sirius, standing at the door, staring at her. She looked back at him, and he leaned against the doorway, taking her in.

"Remus back in our room, Sirius?"

Sirius glanced at Tonks. "Yes."

"Well, I believe I'll join him. Mad, we'll make it a date tomorrow afternoon to get you set up, dear. But I'll see you later this evening." She winked at Sirius and sidled by him, out the door.

Sirius didn't move. "You are beautiful."

"Thank you. I think maybe you're not supposed to see me like this." Maddy realized that Tonks, in her own way, had helped to diffuse her wrath. She was having a hard time staying angry with him.

"I'll take the risk."

"Come inside and close the door."

Sirius moved and let the door shut behind him.

"Come here," Maddy whispered.

He walked up to her. She put her arms around him and held him close.

"I love you. It's all right."

"God, Madeleine, I'm so sorry," he said into her hair.

"Stop. We'll worry about all that after this is over. Let's just have fun tonight and tomorrow night, and enjoy each other."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Arthur and Molly arrived that evening. Once they had been ensconced in their own room, the three couples met in the ballroom where the wedding was to take place the next day. Madame Rabot, in charge of the hotel end of things, quickly went over the details of the reception, which was to be held outside on the terrace if the weather cooperated. Once she had gone, they remained in the ballroom. A bonding witch, Madame Bernard, had been procured a few weeks before by Sirius, and she reviewed all the details with the couple quickly before apparating back to her home nearby in Lyon. She was to return the following evening for the seven o'clock ceremony. Molly sat next to Arthur, conjuring handkerchiefs to dab her eyes with as Sirius and Maddy went over their vows with the woman. Curiously, Tonks did the same thing, and Remus was forced to wave tissues into existence with his own wand to stem her tears.

"Well, I believe we are set for tomorrow evening," Madame Bernard finally told Sirius once they had gone over everything necessary.

"Wonderful! We'll see you before seven, then, yes?"

She assured them that she would return promptly the following night. Once she had gone, everyone readied themselves for a trip into Annecy for dinner. Rather than attempt to coordinate an apparition into the town proper, Sirius had arranged for a boat to take them across the lake to the restaurant.

The group had dinner at a canal-side restaurant serving a local specialty, fondue savoyarde, and laughed at Arthur Weasley's entertaining stories of raids he had conducted on behalf of the ministry over the years.

"But what I've always wanted to know is ... exactly how do airplanes stay up? Anyone?" the older wizard asked.

Sirius grinned and winked at the man. "Easy. It's a combination of _lift_ and _thrust_, Arthur." He laughed at the innuendo and took a drink of his wine, then put an arm around Maddy, gathering her close to him.

Arthur furrowed his brow, thinking about that description, and Sirius chuckled even more. Maddy rolled her eyes, then allowed him to insert a piece of melted cheese on bread into her mouth to try. His mood had boosted considerably once they had made up, but he hadn't been able to get her alone long enough to act on it. He kissed her deeply now, and didn't care who saw.

"You taste _very_ good," he whispered into her ear.

Maddy, who was tipsy herself, kissed him back. She glanced over to Tonks, who watched her with a wistful look, then to Remus, whose gaze was turned elsewhere. Maddy raised her eyes heavenward and gave her a penetrating stare that said _go for it, already! _ Encouraged, Tonks nudged Remus, murmured something in his ear, then kissed him soundly on the lips. The two of them stood up.

"Think we'll go for a stroll around town," Remus said.

"Oh, how nice! Arthur, let's join them!" Molly exclaimed.

Tonks looked away, and Sirius said quickly, "No, stay here with us! I've been meaning to speak to you about some ... Ministry issues, Arthur."

"Really?" Arthur leaned forward. "What's on your mind, Sirius?"

Sirius paused, speechless in an attempt to come up with an actual question. Meanwhile, Tonks and Remus slid by them and disappeared into the darkness. Molly realized her faux-pas, and looked at her husband.

"Talk about work some other time, Arthur! Let's walk around on our own for a bit. Sirius, Maddy, would you like to join us?"

"Thank you, but I believe we'll just sit here for a while and let our food digest," Maddy answered with a smile.

The other couple rose to leave, and soon Sirius and Maddy were on their own. He rubbed the nape of her neck softly, and they sat for a few minutes without speaking. Then he leaned over to kiss her ear.

"So this is our last night as a non-respectable unmarried couple sharing a bed. Care to make it a memorable one?" he whispered. "And I could do with another little session in the alley beforehand."

She turned toward him, her own mouth at his ear. "Exactly how memorable would you care to make it, Mr. Black?"

"I've a few things in mind. Possibly involving the balcony, and you down on your knees in front of me, to start. Then we can move elsewhere for afters. I'll take mine between your legs. Then we'll just see what happens, little Miss O. Ready?"

She nodded and kissed him, barely touching his lips with hers. They stood up, and Sirius tossed some francs on the table. He didn't bother waiting for change, but took her hand and led her away from the restaurant, back to the little passageway where they had been before. There he shoved her against the brick and forced his mouth to hers, twisting his fingers through her hair.

"God, I could have you right here," he said in between rough kisses. He lifted her leg, pushing her closer to him. "I don't care who sees."

Maddy kissed him back, then gasped as his mouth moved to her neck.

"Let's go home. Now," she managed to say.

Sirius looked around and, pulling his wand out, made them disappear.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Fortunately, by Saturday morning, the clouds had disappeared, and the day was shaping up to be warm and sunny. Maddy woke up and walked out on the balcony with a cup of tea, looking out over a lake so calm and still that the mountains left a perfect image in the water. Sirius had risen early to meet Remus and Arthur for breakfast, leaving her free to lounge around until Tonks and Molly came knocking later that morning.

Once Maddy met up with the others, the three women took a boat over to Annecy once more and spent the morning there, trolling the little shops. After a few hours of shopping and a relaxing lunch in a tiny café, Molly decided they should head back.

"We have to start getting you ready, my dear!" she said, winking at her.

Maddy, who had been relatively calm up until then, felt her heart lurch suddenly. She looked to Tonks in a panic.

"Oh, relax, Mad. By this time tomorrow, you'll be Mrs. Black and it'll all be over with!" Tonks added. "We'll hang out in your suite this evening, ply you with a glass of champagne, and make you so beautiful Sirius won't be able to keep his hands off you!"

"Thanks. I'll need all the help I can get," Maddy said. She didn't know why she was so jittery all of a sudden. "Don't let me drink much, though. I'd hate to be falling over in the middle of the ceremony!"

Once they had returned to the hotel, Molly and Tonks left Maddy for a while, arranging to meet back up in her suite a few hours before the ceremony was to start. She was left alone to her thoughts, since Sirius was nowhere to be found. Maddy noticed his wedding clothes were gone, and vaguely remembered him telling her the previous night that he would be changing elsewhere, if for no other reason than to curb Molly's nagging about _tradition_.

She wandered around the suite, thinking up something to do to make time pass more quickly. Television was out, she thought, glancing at their set sitting dormant in the corner. She didn't know enough French to understand what was going on, anyway. She contented herself with pulling out a thick paperback she had bought a few months back in a muggle shop. Curling up into an armchair, she read several pages until her eyelids refused to stay open any longer. The book fell to her side and she dozed off.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy awoke out a deep sleep, feeling as though she had missed something very important. The sun filtered through a sheer drape, warming her face. She wondered, in a haze, if it was the next morning. Sirius was nowhere around, and she realized she was hungry. She needed to round him up and get some breakfast.

Then she noticed the digital clock beside their bed. 4:45. Suddenly, she realized it was her wedding day, and only a few hours since she had fallen asleep. She jerked her body out of the chair in a panic.

Opening the closet door, Maddy saw the gown and crinoline on their hangers. She pulled them out and heaved them into the bedroom. There was no place to hang them, so she laid them across the bed. It was then that she noticed a white box tied with a ribbon sitting on the duvet. She picked it up, grazing the velvet bow with her finger. Sirius must have put it here while she was sleeping. A rolled up piece of parchment accompanied it, with her name written in his distinctive script. He had anticipated her, apparently. Beneath the name _Madeleine_ on the back of it, he had scrawled _open your gift now_ as an afterthought. She finished unrolling it and read.

_Madeleine,_

_There are many things I want to say to you, but, unfortunately, the words are not cooperating. I've tried three times to write things that sounded appropriately romantic, but with no luck. I thought I might use someone else's, as a result. Mr. Darcy came to mind, but as I haven't actually read your favourite book in quite some time, I can't quite recall exactly how he expressed his feelings for his own bride. So I attempted to think of some lyrics to a song that might do the job. Failing that, I decided to hell with it and used my own after all. _

_You are my beloved. I suppose we could say that a wedding, or marriage, really isn't needed between us. Maybe it's just an official-looking piece of parchment signed by the right person saying we're legit now. We're already living together, after all._

_I think of it as more than that, though. To me, marriage is a mystical bond between two people. Plenty might laugh at that, especially if their own union was a lousy one. My parents, for example. Very little love seemed to exist between the two of them. It will never be like that between us, I promise you. To my mind, it's one of the most important things I could ever do: publicly commit myself to the woman I love. In a way, I feel inadequate offering you no more than this small ceremony in a foreign country. It might be nice to have something grand, back at home. But to be honest, I like the idea of only our closest friends and family being the witnesses in such a beautiful place (including your new godson- I checked with him, and I know James and Lily would have wanted it). Why should anyone else be there?_

_Madeleine, please don't worry about anything. I am confident that someday soon Voldemort and those who follow him will be defeated, our world will be repaired, and before we know it, you and I will be spending summers playing on the lawn with our son, just as you saw it. Then with both children. Then with our grandchildren. We will have a long and happy life together, starting tonight. _

_I love you._

_Sirius_

Maddy carefully rolled the parchment back up. She went to retrieve the box containing her mother's combs, and whispered the spell to release the lock on it. Taking the combs out, she replaced them with the note and secured the little box again. The box Sirius had left with her was still on the bed, and she went to it. Once she had pulled the ribbon aside, she opened it to find a necklace and earrings. Maddy picked up the delicate necklace and examined it. The design was simple; a pearl hung down, surrounded by a few small emeralds and diamonds, threaded through several delicate silver strands. The earrings matched. They were beautiful, and had obviously been picked out to match the combs. Maddy realized his words had eased whatever anxiety she had been suffering. He was sweet and kind, and he was to be hers.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She went to the door and opened it to see a beaming Tonks and Molly.

"Time to get started!" Molly sang out, and Tonks held up a bottle of champagne.

"Well, I need to take a shower, before anything else. You ladies go ahead, and I'll have a glass soon as I'm done."

"Not just champagne, Maddy dear. Here are a few things to nibble on." Molly held up a little basket with snacks. "Courtesy of that Depaul fellow, Sirius said."

"Ooh, thanks! Just what I needed." Maddy rummaged around until she settled on a biscuit. "Make yourselves at home," she reminded them before heading into the bathroom.

She spent several minutes under the hot water before emerging with her wet hair in a towel and body covered by a robe. Tonks and Molly immediately set to work on her, first using a wand to dry her hair, then experimenting with various hairstyles before settling on the one Tonks had used the previous day. Molly worked on her nails, while Maddy did her own face. The necklace and earrings went on next, and finally the gown. Tonks and Molly stood back and inspected the fruits of their labors.

"Everything okay?" Maddy asked. She felt nervous again, and looked down at her manicured nails with an insane urge to bite them.

Molly smiled. "You are lovely, Maddy!"

Tonks nodded. "Beautiful."

Maddy observed herself in the mirror as she had done previously, only this day Sirius had been removed from the room. He was downstairs, already dressed, as reported by Remus, who had stopped by, and was speaking to newly arrived Harry and his friends. Maddy longed to see him, but gave in to Molly's insistence that to do it would be bad luck.

Once she had given Tonks Sirius's wedding band to keep, the two women left to ready themselves. The room was quiet again. Maddy pulled out Sirius's note and reread it, wishing she had thought to do something similar for him. She had a small gift, but had decided to give it to him later, after everything was done. Molly had planned to return eventually for her, so when a knock came at the door, she opened it expecting to see her. Instead, Albus stood there, looking resplendent in silver robes.

"Good evening, Madeleine. How are you?"

"Albus! I've missed you," Maddy said, reaching up to hug him tightly. "Are you walking me downstairs instead of Molly?"

"Why, yes, I thought I would. You look beautiful, by the way."

"Thanks. I'm a bit nerve-wracked, to be honest."

He smiled. "I'll stay with you. At least until your husband takes you away from me."

"I'd like that very much," she admitted. His presence calmed her, at least a little.

He held out an arm. "I believe it's time, then."

They walked down the wooden stairs, arm in arm, until they reached the ground floor. A few guests stopped to gawk at the tall man in his unconventional attire and flowing beard, and then to the woman he accompanied. Albus held her arm tighter in reassurance, and they continued down the hallway.

Mr. Depaul himself stood outside the ballroom, and upon seeing Maddy, broke into a wide, toothy grin. He motioned to a person inside, and, whispering something soothing in French, ushered her in. She felt her cheeks color, feeling unused to so much attention. The small crowd of people had quietened down already, and swiveled in their seats when she appeared at the door. She glanced around at all their friends present and saw Hermione beam at her before darting a look at Ron sitting beside her. Harry sat with them, and Kingsley and his wife behind them with Minerva McGonagall. But Maddy had looked beyond the guests, to the man who stood at the front, smiling at her as if she were already his. Sirius, whose habit was already to dress somewhat formally, looked magnificent in a white shirt with platinum cravat and waistcoat, covered in a long black fitted coat and black trousers. A photographer took her picture, and someone plucked away on a harp as Albus walked with her toward him, but she barely noticed. Soon she was standing next to Sirius. His hand replaced the older man's, gripping hers securely.

Madame Bernard, the bonding witch, started off by speaking to the audience about the duties and responsibilities of witches and wizards who made the commitment to join. After several minutes of this droning, Sirius leaned over and whispered, "She's _really_ not making this sound very good," out of the side of his mouth. Maddy had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, and spent the remainder of the witch's remarks with a half-smile on her face and couldn't look at him.

Fortunately, the lecture was short-lived, and Madame Bernard moved on, asking for the rings. Tonks and Remus each produced one for her, and she blessed them before handing Sirius his. He wasted no time, but took Maddy's hand gently.

"Madeleine, this ring is a symbol that I give myself to you for our entire lives. I am yours now, and I love you with my whole heart. I will share my life and earthly belongings with you, and I promise to honor and respect you. I will also protect you, and do all within my power to keep you safe. With these words, I make you my beloved wife."

He slid the ring on her finger before kissing it, and Maddy realized it was a different one than they had picked out. It was a thicker platinum band, hammered, and had tiny diamonds in the same constellation design as the necklace he had given her at Christmas. _Sirius_, it signified. Tears suddenly came to her eyes.

"Madeleine?" the bonding witch prompted.

Tonks handed her the ring she had picked out. Sniffling, Maddy looked back at Sirius and gripped his left hand.

"Sirius, this ring shows everyone that I belong to you now. I promise you I will love and care for you, honor and protect you, as long as we both live. My whole life, you have meant more to me than I can ever find words to say. I've never told you this, but for years, I prayed for you, that you might be safe, and that I would know someday why you were put in my heart. Now I know, and I thank God for you every day. You are the sweetest blessing of my life and I love you." She put the ring on his hand, then kissed it. Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she saw that his eyes were misty as well.

Madame Bernard took this as her cue to step in. "Le Bon Dieu knows why these two have been joined. You are now husband and wife, and may no one ever attempt to destroy those whom God has brought together. Sirius, you may kiss your new wife now."

Sirius put a hand on her cheek and brought his lips to hers, lingering there for several seconds. Then he pulled away slightly, oblivious to Remus and Tonks's own smoldering looks at each other, and whispered something in her ear.

The harpist began to play once more, and after a quick wizarding photograph, they walked down the aisle together as Mr. and Mrs. Black.


	38. The New Mistress

The day couldn't have been any more perfect, Sirius thought that night. Maddy lay sleeping next to him, nuzzled up close. He could feel the warmth of her back, pressed against his chest, and he inched closer to kiss her neck. She moved her bottom slightly, enough to make him want more. He hated to wake her, though.

He had left the French doors open which led outside to the balcony. In darkness, the sound of waves lapping against the shore was constant and soothing. It wasn't the Abbaye de Talloires any longer, though. He had apparated her to a small hotel in the Algarve on their wedding night for a few days before returning home. Salema, in Portugal, had been recommended by James years earlier after he had brought Lily for a holiday. Sirius had always remembered name of the placeand the hotel, which was right on the ocean. The sound of the ocean had probably put her to sleep quickly, he thought. But a much more satisfying answer was that he had completely worn her out.

Well, _that _was some of the most exciting sex he'd ever had with her. Sirius thought of the words he had whispered in her ear at the end of their ceremony. _You are beautiful, and mine, and I will worship you with my body tonight. _Well, he had surely done that.

His thoughts turned to the letter he had received from Maddy's mother months earlier, sharing the Gaelic vows her ancestors had repeated. He thought back to the first time he had ever heard them, on a cold night when he was ten and she was four. They had been spoken in a foreign language, the guttural inflections meaning nothing to him at the time. When he was a child, the experience had been frightening. As a man, however, the somewhat archaic verse became a beautiful and erotic supplement to making love for the first time as husband and wife, especially when whispered just before the act.

_I vow to you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine_

_From the day that we choose it shall only be your name I cry out in the night_

_And into your eyes that I smile each morning;_

_I shall be a shield for your back as you are for mine,_

_Nor shall a grievous word be spoken about us,_

_For our marriage is sacred between us and no stranger shall hear my grievance._

_Above and beyond this, I will cherish and honor you through this life and into the next._

_"I'd forgotten about that," Maddy whispered when he had finished._

_"Well, I haven't"_, _he said before kissing her mouth. He tasted a bit of champagne, which she had just taken a sip of, and the juice from a strawberry they had fed each other, and the kiss deepened. _

Sirius recalled speaking to a vampire named Murdoch once in the Hog's Head, years before, who had been all too happy to explain how sensual drinking someone else's blood was. Sex couldn't compare, he'd said, and he gave the young wizard a wicked grin and a significant look at his neck. Once he showed his fangs, Sirius had made sure to keep his distance the rest of the evening. He had remembered the vampire's words, though, especially now that he had thought of the night he and Madeleine were children. Their blood had mingled then, with a cut to their wrists, and he had wondered if the events that followed over the years were really a result of that night.

Sirius had then lifted her wrist, exposing the ancient scar on the underside, and kissed it. She hadn't realized how sensitive the place was, and she gasped. Then he traced the tiny letter _S _that Carol O'Hannon had made years ago.

"_We could do this again. Nothing bad, just a bit of symbolism. To go along with that vow."_

_Maddy examined the old mark on his own wrist, which was so tiny she could barely see it._

"_Do you have a knife?"_

"_Yeah. I nicked one from the reception. Nothing like planning ahead." He grinned._

_She regarded him for a moment before answering. "Do that to me."_

Now, in darkness, Sirius felt the tiny cut she had made in his own flesh before pressing both wrists together. He touched it now, and it stung, though it was a satisfying reminder of making love with her just afterward. With the same finger, he traced the outline of his wedding ring, which felt heavy and unfamiliar. As sleep approached, his thoughts became more random and fragmented, but one thing stood out in particular. _I have never been happier._ This was the most important day of his life, with only James and Lily's absence to mar it. Married to a beautiful, sweet witch who cared more for him than anyone ever had. And a godson, which they now shared.

Then Bellatrix's leering face appeared in his mind, and he groaned a little, wanting to banish her for good. She wasn't going to ruin things for him; he would make sure of it. He was curious to actually view what Maddy had seen, though. Dumbledore had approached him about her at the reception, amid the music and dancing, while Maddy was off speaking to Kingsley's wife.

_"Sirius. I want to speak to Madeleine."_

_"You want to talk about it now?"_

_"No, but as soon as possible. I want her to attempt to see more about the death room."_

_"I see no reason for her to go through that again. Thought you didn't believe in that stuff, anyway."_

_"Just call it preventive measures. It's her decision, Sirius. I believe she'll agree. But, no, I don't want to talk about it now. When are you returning to Hogsmeade?"_

_"In a few days. I'm taking her to a place in the Algarve before we go back. We're both rather homesick, though, so we won't stay long."_

_"I'm going to schedule an Order meeting as soon as you return. Tell her I'll talk to her about it then."_

Sirius hadn't liked that one bit, but he had to accept that it was Maddy's choice. He would be with her when she attempted another vision, though. He would insist. He curled up closer to her and fell asleep, breathing in the scent of her hair.

#

The house at Hogsmeade was a welcome sight, even if Maddy was seeing it through the misty drizzle that dominated the Scottish highlands. She wrapped her cloak closely around her and wandered around the grounds, which Sirius had just finished 'unlocking.' With the recent warmer weather, the flower beds in front had begun to bloom, and she leaned over for a closer look, waiting for Sirius to continue releasing the protective spells Remus had placed on the house. Once he was finished, he said one last spell to unlock the door, and opened it. He threw a small stack of _Daily Prophets _inside that had accumulated on the stoop, being too big to fit through the mail slot.

Maddy started to go in, but squealed when Sirius surprised her by lifting her into his arms.

"Have to carry you over the threshold, don't I?" he asked, grinning, though he grunted with the effort.

"Merlin, am I _that_ heavy?" Maddy said as she locked her arms around his neck.

"Not at all," he replied, pretending breathlessness. He set her down just inside the door and wiped his forehead with a sleeve.

"Now, _listen_," she said, rolling her eyes. "I think you're going to be okay."

He smiled again and gave her a long kiss, then they both looked around. The scent of their home seemed foreign after being away for close to a month. The dining room table was cluttered with a collection of wedding gifts that Remus had brought back for them from France.

"First order of business is to decorate, now that I have a wife to help," Sirius said with a wink. He frowned at the empty spaces around them.

Maddy had noticed a number of letters just inside the door that he had stepped over. "Wow. Owl post came, and quite a bit of it, apparently. I wonder that this wasn't blocked by the protective spells." She picked up a handful of envelopes and saw that a few were from the Ministry.

"They detect mostly human interference. The spells, I mean. Though, if an owl were trying to do something sinister to the place, like doing its business at the front door or what have you, I'm sure the house would retaliate." He grinned at her.

Maddy snorted, and began to sort through mail.

"I need to get a copy of our bonding certificate to the Ministry first thing," Sirius said when he noticed the familiar seal on an envelope. "What's that?"

"Looks like junk mail. Reckon they're still wanting to question us?"

He shrugged in dismissal. "Doubt it. I spoke to Kingsley after the wedding, and he believes Umbridge is losing a bit of her polish with Fudge. I'm not too sure he takes her very seriously at this point."

Maddy had her doubts about that, and wondered if she should continue to keep a low profile. Sirius seemed to know what she was thinking.

"You do know you're officially under my protection now, anyway," he said. He leaned against a bare wall.

"Oh. Well, I know you would protect me very well," Maddy answered. She wasn't sure what he meant.

"No. I mean it'll be a bit different for you, now that you're my wife."

She frowned. "Sirius, you're talking about people who sent you to prison without a trial. I'm not sure being a Black _matters_ to them, though I certainly appreciate the sentiment."

"That's exactly why it does matter. They fucked up, and now they'll be more apt to bend over backwards for me, and now you."

Maddy shrugged. She wasn't convinced that Sirius could do no wrong with the Ministry.

Sirius continued. "Okay. Kingsley is trying to convince Fudge that the evidence of wrongdoing on your part is fairly flimsy. You weren't there when the DA were caught, after all, and Dumbledore was quite willing to take on the blame for you and Harry. Not to mention that Edgecombe girl was roundly discredited right in front of Fudge. Then word got back to him from several outraged parents that Umbridge was rumored to use the cruciatus on you without provocation, and was fooled by an Auror imposter. Not that he believes any of this, or so he tells himself. Unfortunately we wouldn't be able to prove she did it to you for sure, not after my brilliant stroke of genius in throwing her wand out." He rolled his eyes. "It was worth it, regardless. Anyway, that comes back to Harry's word, and Fudge, for one, would never listen to him over Umbridge. He's growing uneasy about her, though."

"What do you mean about her wand?"

"Oh, nothing," Sirius said. He remembered what he had done to the old cow just after she lost her wand, and smiled. Even Harry had mentioned how she disappeared for a few days following Sirius's visit to Hogwarts, before showing up again dirty and disheveled, and snapping at everyone.

Maddy flipped through a few more letters but found nothing of interest. The _Daily Prophet_ issues might be better reading, she thought. She wondered if their wedding would have made news, but she doubted it. There was no love lost between the _Prophet_ and those present witnessing their vows, so the paper likely didn't know about it yet.

She changed the subject. "Well, I know one thing we should buy, and soon. A pensieve."

Sirius's good mood seemed to evaporate. "I know," he said quietly. "I'll retrieve the memory from Albus at tomorrow night's Order meeting. I want to speak to you about it before you see it, though."

Maddy nodded and decided to change the subject. "Have you heard how Remus is doing?"

"Nah. He'll weather his moon time, same as always. I hope he appreciates Tonks taking care of him, though." Sirius had grown steadily more indignant on his cousin's behalf, now that he had his own love life settled, and hoped that Remus had enough sense to realize how good he had it.

"Well, they certainly danced very closely most of the night. We probably did them a big favor, getting married." Maddy grinned and leaned over to kiss him, which he returned with delight.

"Speaking of married, I think we'd better consummate it again. Just to be sure it took and all," Sirius whispered. He took her hand and led her upstairs to the bedroom.

#

"Tell me about that vision, Sirius."

Maddy lay on her back on the bed, with Sirius between her legs, his head on her chest. His thick, dark hair with the occasional streak of gray splayed over her breasts, and she felt his soft, even breaths. He pretended to be asleep, and he had been, but she wasn't fooled now. She tugged softly on a few locks of hair until he sighed and lifted his head.

"Now?" Sirius asked, his voice soft.

"I have to know. Tell me everything that happened, everything that you obliviated."

"All right." He propped himself up on his elbows, and began to speak in a dispassionate tone. "You were down at the lake, trying to do as your mother asked. You tried to see Bellatrix, because you hate her. Keep in mind I haven't actually seen this myself. I heard you telling Albus about it." His mouth set in a thin line, remembering the desperation in her voice and her sobs as she relayed the vision to Dumbledore.

"Go ahead."

"It was in the Department of Mysteries. What they call the Death Room. You saw Bellatrix do something to Tonks ... stun her or something. She began fighting someone else. It was me. We dueled for a few minutes, then – " His mouth curled with distaste.

"What?" Maddy had gone completely still.

"She hurled a spell at me. It hit me, and I fell backward."

"What else?"

"I fell through an archway. Remus lurched after me, and apparently that was all you saw."

Maddy considered this. "An archway?"

Sirius paused. "It stands in the middle of the room, down in a pit. I've never seen it in person. We have blueprints of the whole floor, fat lot of good they do us – because of the rotating room – but it's enormous, I've heard." He didn't want to tell her what that signified, but knew it was going to be her next question.

"What happened next? To you, I mean." Maddy had never heard of a rotating room, and wondered what that could be.

He paused. "I disappeared."

"Disappeared? Did you apparate away? Were you hurt?"

She squirmed slightly, and Sirius rolled off to lie next to her. "Sorry, love. I must be really heavy. No, I didn't apparate. This archway ... when people go through it, they don't return." He couldn't bring himself to say what he was really thinking – _they die_.

Maddy's eyes widened. "You were gone, just like that, and you wouldn't be able to return?"

He touched her face. "So I'm told."

"_Merlin_, is it dying? What is that thing?"

"It's ancient. Always been there, from what Albus said. I spoke to him after the wedding."

"Bellatrix did that to you."

"She fired the curse, yes. Listen, Madeleine, we won't let it happen, though."

"You're damn right we won't! I'll bloody kill her first!"

Sirius hand gripped her face. "No, you won't. I will not let you near her. There are other ways to stop this from happening. If it's really going to – and I don't mean to belittle what you've seen. I may never wind up there, of course."

That was cold comfort to Maddy, but she lay there, thinking, for a while.

"I'll need to try it again."

"I thought you'd say that. I don't want you to."

"I know, Sirius. But if there's a way to figure out why we're there ..."

"Dumbledore wants to speak to you about it tomorrow. And I wouldn't try to stop you, for the record. But I want to be there when you attempt it."

She looked down at him, and her eyes met his. "To be honest, that might be rather distracting. It feels weird already, trying to see stuff, without you watching me. No offense, of course. I might be too self-conscious, though."

He shrugged slightly. "Well, talk to Dumbledore, and we'll go from there. Ready to eat something?" He was eager to move on to a new subject, and food was a good one.

She nodded. "I'm starving."

They shrugged some clothing on and walked down to the kitchen in search of a meal.

#

The next afternoon, Maddy and Sirius apparated to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place to prepare for the meeting. Various Order members had come and gone since the last time Sirius had been there, but he wanted to come early to put things in order, and introduce his favorite house elf to someone.

They emerged in the dark alley closest to the Black home, their usual apparition point. Sirius looked around first to make sure no one had seen, then looked down at Maddy.

"Is this remotely familiar, love?" He planted a searing kiss to her lips, and Maddy was reminded of the first time he had done so, just after a wonderful date in Bath with Remus and Tonks. It was the first time she had seen Victoria in the flesh.

"Yes. Seems as though it was a lifetime ago, doesn't it?"

He smiled. "It was, wasn't it? We should take off one morning and go back to Cerne Abbas or somewhere, for old times' sake."

"Good plan," Maddy said. "Ready?"

They walked out of the sidestreet and into the light of day, if one could call it that. The sky was filled with dark clouds, and rain threatened at any moment. Sirius took Maddy's hand for the short walk to Number Twelve. Once the door showed itself, they went in, expecting to see the usual dilapidation. But Molly must have cleaned recently. The house was still dingy, but at least it was relatively free of dust and small creatures.

"Home, sweet home," Sirius said in a loud voice, and a startled grunt emanated from behind black curtains at the end of the hallway. They flew open to reveal Walburga Black, in all her splendor, issuing shrieks and insults as she glared at her son with bulging eyes.

"Hello, Mother," Sirius declared, even louder. "I'd like you to meet my wife. Remember Madeleine?"

In spite of the racket, Maddy dissolved into laughter. Sirius shot his mother's portrait an evil grin before kissing Maddy directly in front of her, then made a "V sign" gesture at the wall with his hand. Together, they yanked the curtains closed, and the screeching died off to the sound of grunts and tiny snores.

"C'mon, let's go meet someone else equally dear to me. Oi, Kreacher!"

They walked up one flight of stairs, and heard the sound of shuffling from above them. A long nose poked out through the railing of the next landing up. At first there was silence, then came a small voice laced with resentment.

"Yes, Master?"

"Get down here, now!"

With a crack, the house elf appeared in front of them, looking vastly as though he had better things to do with his time. He eyed Sirius with hatred, and began to mutter.

"Well, if it isn't the nasty blood traitor who broke his mother's heart. And that muggle loving slattern Kreacher has seen doing perverted things with – "

Maddy stifled a giggle.

"Quiet! Kreacher, I want to introduce the two of you properly. This is Madeleine Black. My wife, _and_ your new mistress. And – " he grinned evilly, "you have to obey anything she says. Just like me."

Kreacher's eyes grew even larger, though he refused to look at Maddy. "No, Kreacher WON'T. WON'T listen to her. WON'T!"

"Kreacher. Say hello to your new mistress."

"WON'T!" The house elf's eyes bugged out of his head at this atrocity.

"Really, Sirius, don't worry about it." Maddy was amused, though a little irritated at Kreacher's insults.

"No. He knows he has to acknowledge you."

Kreacher began to bang his head against the wall with quick strokes, though carefully calculated to do no damage. Finally, seeing that Sirius wasn't going to give up and leave, he glared at Maddy.

"We're waiting, Kreacher."

The house elf spit out the words as if he were swallowing glass. "Welcome, Mistress." He burst into racking sobs and disappeared with a _crack_.

"Well, _that_ was nice," Maddy commented. "Are we spending the night here? Because I can just imagine what horrors he might instill in the bedroom in honor of my new status. Probably short-sheet the bed, to start."

"We are absolutely _not_ spending the night here. And never will, if at all possible."

They descended to the kitchen, this time tiptoeing past Mrs. Black's portrait on the way. Molly, or someone, had been busy down here, as well. Groceries sat on the counter in preparation for dinner.

"You reckon she wants me to start on this?" Maddy asked, peeking into one of the bags.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Sirius said. "Molly'll tell you what to do soon enough. Open a bottle of wine, dear, will you? Everyone should be here soon."

Almost on cue, they heard the sound of the front door opening upstairs. Maddy had extracted the cork with her wand, and grabbed three glasses, wiping them off with a cloth to remove any dust Mrs. Weasley may have missed. She looked to the steps to see Albus descending.

"Hello, Mrs. Black, Mr. Black," he said cheerfully. "How are the newlyweds?"

"Wonderful. And yourself?" Sirius held up a glass toward Dumbledore in inquiry, and the headmaster nodded.

"Yes, I'll take a tiny bit, thank you. I'll get to the point, because I imagine the others will be arriving soon. I want to speak to you more about these visions, Madeleine."

"Yeah, I've heard. Of course," she said.

"I've been wondering if you would consent to use your talents for the Order." He fumbled in his robes for a moment. "I almost forgot. For you." He pulled out a small vial full of a swirling substance, stoppered securely, and handed it to her. "The one from France."

Maddy hesitated for a second. It was one thing to hear about this vision, filtered by Sirius, but she wasn't sure how she would take seeing it for herself. But Albus watched her closely as she accepted it, and she kept her face expressionless.

"Well, Madeleine? What do you think?"

"I think it would be worth a try. What I've seen so far, well, I certainly hope it's useful." Maddy looked down at the vial. She thought of Malfoy, and how she had seen him unbidden, and couldn't control that vision. She wasn't sure if she would be good enough at it to help.

"Good. I am sure you will understand that there are a few caveats, however."

Sirius frowned. "Such as?"

Dumbledore considered his words. "Well, suffice it to say that there are certain things I am not able to disclose, regarding the Order. It is of the utmost importance that _anything_ you might see for us," he turned to Maddy, "must be told only to me. You'll have to take a vow to that effect."

"I can't even tell Sirius?"

"If I approve it."

Sirius broke in. "Well, that hardly seems fair! They're her visions, after all."

"I'm afraid I must insist. It's war, Sirius, even if the other side hasn't declared it yet. I wouldn't make this demand if it weren't important."

Maddy thought of something else. "What if I see something that turns out to be completely wrong? I'm not sure I want to be responsible for mucking things up for us all!"

"Don't worry about that. I will make any pertinent decisions on things you are asked to see. Be aware, however, that you will have to be ... very strong if you're to do this. But I'm sure you know that already."

"I do. So what's next, then?"

"For now, just worry about combatting that one." He motioned to the vial in her hand, and her pulse quickened. "I don't want to distress you further on it, but if you think you can try again with Bellatrix to see more, it might be helpful. The only thing concrete I can tell you is that Sirius disappears at 4:32 on the seventeenth of the month. What month, though? I don't know."

"Right. How the hell did you figure that out?" Sirius asked.

"I managed to see the time and date on Remus's watch. A little _arresto momentum_ helps with details like that, I think you'll find when you use a pensieve."

"We'll get one straightaway," Maddy assured him.

"I have one more thing for you," Albus said, this time with a twinkle in his eye. "News of your marriage has made it to print."

"Really? I've flipped through the _Prophets_ we've missed and never saw a thing."

He pulled a rolled up magazine out of his robes.

"You read the _Quibbler_?" she asked with a raised eyebrow once he had straightened it out.

"Well, news of my dementia, as reported incessantly by the _Daily Prophet_, was growing tiresome, so I branched out a bit. It is a very entertaining article, I must say. Definitely worth a read." He winked at Maddy, who took it from him and examined the cover.

_Sirius Black (aka Stubby Boardman) Ties the Knot with ex-Hogwarts Professor in Secret Ceremony. _Below it, in smaller print, were the words _Huge swarm of nargles settle over happy couple as they kiss. _A picture of Sirius and Maddy in the midst of that act was just below the line, though no nargles appeared to be present.

"You need spectre-specs to actually see them," Sirius explained with a straight face.

Maddy looked suspiciously at him.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Harry's friend Luna wanted a good story. We gave her one. Seems a mite tame, though, if you ask me. I thought Lovegood would've come up with something much more creative than that tired old line about Stubby Boardman and a few nargles. Can't have it all, I suppose." He looked back at Dumbledore. "Do we have time to take care of the pensieve before the meeting? We need to get that out of the way."

Dumbledore nodded. "Molly was planning on a light dinner first, so you may miss a bit of that. If you can return by seven, though, I would appreciate it."

"Better get cracking, then, Mad. You're coming with me, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Let's go."

#

Sirius decided to use floo powder this time for the trip to Diagon Alley. He went first, followed by Maddy, and a minute later, they were both in the midst of a crowded thoroughfare. He took her hand, and they walked together for a few minutes.

"So why did you give a wedding picture to the _Quibbler_?" Maddy was amused by the story that had accompanied it. She had an idea why Sirius had done so, but she wanted to confirm it.

"I rather like sticking it to the _Prophet_. They spent years parroting a bunch of lies about me, after all. And the _Quibbler_ interview with Harry, back in March, helped him gain a bit of credibility back, as well. I figured giving them a story about his godfather's wedding, complete with a picture to prove it actually took place, might help him even more. People need to stop with this head-in-the-sand nonsense about Voldemort."

"Good idea. But getting back to Stubby, I was surprised to read that you pulled out a guitar and crooned a love song to me at the reception, in front of everyone." Maddy smirked at him. "I can't seem to recall that."

"Anything for the woman I love," Sirius said. "You must have been too drunk to remember it. What a shame." He put an arm around her and hugged her to him as they walked.

A few people stared as the couple walked by, but Sirius ignored them. "Here's where Dumbledore suggested."

Next to Magical Menagerie was the Magical Mystic, apparently operated by the same owners. He opened the door for her, and followed her in. The shop was quiet, as opposed to the bustle of the street outside.

"I've been in here before, back when I was at Gringotts," Maddy said. "I'd forgotten all about it."

She noticed an aisle devoted to divination artifacts, and peered into a crystal ball. Sirius had already found the pensieves, back in the corner. On a wild impulse, she picked up the ball and its stand, and walked over to him.

"Don't laugh. It might help," she told him when he looked quizzically at it.

"I wouldn't laugh," Sirius said. An older woman walked up to them. She wore deep blue robes and had a long chain around her neck with a pair of specs attached.

"May I help you?" she asked kindly.

"Yes," Sirius said. "We'd like to purchase a pensieve, and this crystal ball."

"Very good. Well, we've got the basic pensieve, and this more decorative model, as you see."

Sirius glanced at both. "They work the same, don't they?"

"Well, yes," she admitted. "But this model is much prettier to look at, I think." She fingered the edge of the stone basin.

"Utilitarian works for me," Maddy said. "And it's a ninety-nine galleons less than that other one."

Sirius pointed to the plain stone pensieve. "That one it is." He grabbed a box of small vials for use with it, and went to the counter. The shopkeeper rang them up and observed them both with curiosity before glancing down at their hands.

"Are you Sirius Black?" she finally asked.

He nodded. "Yes."

She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Well, I'm glad to see you are doing very well."

"Oh. Well, thanks. I am."

"Recently married?"

He nodded again. "Yes. This is my wife, Madeleine." He motioned to Maddy, who smiled.

"You've had a rough time of it, haven't you, Sirius? Though I suppose that's an understatement." She seemed embarrassed all of a sudden to have brought this up.

Sirius understood what she meant, though. "I did. Not anymore, though."

"Not that it's any of my business. But congratulations to you both. You deserve much happiness. I just wanted you to know that."

"Thank you." Sirius smiled at her.

"And if I thought you were really Stubby Boardman, I'd ask for your autograph. My daughter used to fancy him, many years ago. Before that unfortunate incident with the turnip, that is." She twisted her mouth into a playful smile before sobering again. "You may have known my daughter. Her name was Dorcas Meadows."

Sirius's smile evaporated. "Yes, I did. She was a wonderful person, and a very talented witch."

The woman's voice softened a bit. "I believe Albus Dumbledore, by the way. I think _he's_ back. He killed her, himself." She choked up slightly.

"I know. I'm so sorry for your loss."

The woman sighed, and sniffled. "Please be very careful, Sirius. Both of you."

"We will." He patted the woman's hand. "It was very nice to meet you, Mrs. Meadows."

"Come back in anytime. Yes?"

"Of course. Mind if we apparate from here with this?"

"Not at all," she replied.

"Mad, love, we'll have to do it separately, if I'm to hold on to this. I'll meet you at the house in a moment."

She nodded and said her goodbyes to the shopkeeper, then they disappeared with their new acquisitions.

_A/N: Edited to correct a timeline error._


	39. Couple Projects and Order Projects

**Rated 'M' for sexual situations.**

_A/N: Sorry for the infrequent updates. I blame it on the crappy new job sapping me of my will to live, and two little kids who like to bang on the keyboard to 'help' anytime I get near it to write :) Hope you are still enjoying the story. I worry that it might suffer from "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" syndrome. If you don't know what that means, well, you're probably too young, so please consider that a compliment from an 'old' lady of 41! Thanks for reading._

The Order meeting that evening began uneventfully, though several witches and wizards dropped in to congratulate Sirius and Maddy on their marriage, and left a few more gifts for them. Severus Snape even managed to show up, waiting until the meeting was underway before making an appearance. His eyes met Maddy's once, and she smiled at him. He returned it with only a frosty look, however, which irritated her, and she didn't know what to make of it. Maddy knew Remus and Tonks wouldn't be there because of the full moon, and she felt slightly more adrift without her friend's presence.

Albus took charge, making only a few announcements. The first was that Madeleine would be assisting him with two special projects, taking place over a period of several months. He said nothing more about it, and most people in the room looked at Maddy with speculation. She was bewildered, herself. As far as she remembered, they had only spoken about cultivating the visions. She shot Dumbledore a look of inquiry, but he only winked at her.

The second item he brought up concerned Remus and Tonks, and their own project on his behalf. He didn't elaborate on that, either. Once those mysterious topics had been closed, Dumbledore gave the floor to Kingsley, who sat up straight, folded his hands together, and looked in Maddy and Sirius's direction. He didn't mince words.

"Yes, well, you all know about Dolores Umbridge and her influence on Fudge and the Ministry. She has gone to him several times, insisting that he find and question Maddy about her involvement with the so-called 'Dumbledore's Army'. Actually, she wanted Maddy _and_ Sirius questioned, but I managed to convince Fudge to leave Sirius alone, at least, as there was no concrete evidence that he has ever been involved. Fudge has begun thinking of something else, though, which he thinks will give him an excuse to rein Maddy in."

"What's that?" Sirius asked, perking up considerably.

"He believes that threatening Maddy with a term in Azkaban might 'out' Dumbledore. That was Umbridge's idea, sweetly put to his ear."

"No!" Sirius shouted, and Maddy sat back a little, feeling the color drain from her face. Albus's words about the prison several months ago came back to her suddenly. She had thought _that _particular danger was long past by now, though.

Kingsley continued, with an apologetic look in the couple's direction. "Fudge believes it would be effective. He's well aware that it would shut Umbridge up, also." He rolled his eyes. Owls from the headmistress arrived daily in Fudge's office as of late.

"Absolutely not. She's not going to the Ministry, full stop," Sirius said, just as Maddy asked her own question.

"What are the odds that they would be fair?"

Sirius snorted. "What do you think? You're not going!"

"Are you her keeper, _Black_, now that you're married?" Snape asked, sneering. "Surely your wife has a mind of her own. Of course, she was foolish enough to marry _you_. On second thought, perhaps she does need someone else thinking for her. Someone other than you, anyway."

Sirius had steeled himself to be nice to Snape, but once insulted, he was happy to abandon that plan now. "I guess you'd say I have quite a lot of experience with the Ministry being unfair, _Snivellus_." He felt a surge of satisfaction at using the childish name.

"Oh yes. We've all been subject to your incessant whing – "

"That's enough," Dumbledore said before Snape could continue. "No, I agree with Sirius. I believe we should keep Maddy away from the Ministry. Cornelius is far too paranoid to let any common sense prevail where I'm concerned. But just so you know," he added, looking at her, "I would _never_ let you be taken to Azkaban on my account. I would suggest that you work on the assignments you've been given at your home, since it is well-protected. Perhaps when you do go out, venture into more unconventional places, where the Ministry would be unlikely to look, and then only when Sirius is with you. A bit like last autumn, in other words." In spite of the situation's gravity, his eyes twinkled at what had transpired between them back then.

"Agreed?" he added. Maddy nodded and looked at Sirius, who had recovered enough to give her a reassuring little smile.

"Right. Anything else?"

"I suppose I have something," Snape drawled.

"Well, by all means, share it," Sirius said, exasperated.

"Pettigrew has been heard making noise about retaliation for his capture. He wants aid from the Dark Lord – "

"Can't you just say Voldemort?" Sirius snapped.

"Excuse me. Would you both please stop the bickering?" Hestia Jones asked. "We all know you don't like each other. Go _on_, Severus."

"As I was _saying_, Pettigrew is requesting help in eliminating a certain person whom he has convinced himself is responsible for sending him to Azkaban."

Maddy's stomach knotted up. Was Voldemort going after her, as well? But Snape was the one who had captured him in the end, so that didn't make sense.

"Who, you?" she asked.

Snape's lip curled upward. "Now, I could hardly be privy to that information if they suspected _me_. No, it's another person." Curiously, he didn't seem very upset.

"Who, then? Me? I'm the only other logical choice."

"No. It's Black, actually." He didn't disguise the tiny lilt in his voice when he said the name. Sirius swiveled around to face him.

"What?"

Maddy turned pale. "What do you mean? How could he think Sirius had anything to do with that? He was probably unconscious at the time, for Merlin's sake!"

"I suppose it's my fault," Snape continued, offhand. "When I captured him, I was forced to modify his memory once he had transformed, so he wouldn't recall what had happened. All I really said was that Black had been freed, and he was going to Azkaban in his place. And that he would forget he ever saw me there. I'm not responsible for how he interpreted that."

Dumbledore spoke up with an edge to his voice. "So tell us, then, Severus, did Lord Voldemort take him seriously? I find it hard to believe he would even listen to Pettigrew after his past failures and years of cowardice." His words held a warning for Snape to be truthful and resist any temptation to embellish.

Snape was finished for now, though. "I've no idea. I heard no more about it. Now, if you will excuse me, I should be getting back. The headmistress thinks I've gone into Hogsmeade." The lip curled with distaste again.

Without another word to the others, he grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the fireplace, calling out, "The Hog's Head." Then he stepped in and was immediately taken away.

#

"Well, Maddy, let me tell you what a wonderful time we had at your wedding," Molly said after everyone had cleared out. She patted her on the back. "Arthur and I thought Annecy was lovely, and you make _such_ a beautiful couple! And your skin is nice and tanned now. You have such a healthy glow about you! I can see why," she added with a conspiratorial wink and nod toward Sirius.

"Thanks. I'm so glad you could come." Maddy smiled at the other woman, but she really wanted to break away and speak to Albus, who was now talking quietly with Sirius and Arthur.

"I'll just finish cleaning the kitchen up," the older woman continued.

"Please don't worry about it. Sirius and I will do it before we leave."

Molly looked at the pile of dirty dishes. "Are you sure? I'd be glad to put them away."

"No," Maddy said. "We'll take care of it. You go on home."

She walked over to Sirius, who put an arm around her. Arthur left them to rejoin Molly, and the two disappeared through the fireplace shortly thereafter.

"What's the other project?" Maddy asked immediately.

"I've been speaking to Sirius about it. I know you're a good legilimens. I think you should be practicing occlumency, as well, though."

"You think it's important?"

"Well, if you're to continue with the visions, I really think it would be imperative to keep those things secret in your mind."

Maddy already knew about Harry's difficulty with occlumency lessons. "I'm not dealing with Snape, though. There will have to be an alternative."

Dumbledore smiled. "There is. Your husband has volunteered to help."

She looked at Sirius. "How?"

"By trying legilimency on you. If that's all right with you, of course," Sirius said.

She nodded, though wondering how effective that was going to be. He had told her more than once that he was no legilimens.

Albus broke in. "Madeleine, I never thought to ask if you would like the other memories to look at. I'd be happy to return them to you, if you want."

"Yeah, I'll take them. I'd really like to see them again."

Albus excused himself for a few minutes, disappearing through the fireplace while they waited. Soon enough he was back, and bearing more of the glowing vials. "Here you go, my dear."

Maddy thanked him and put them on the kitchen counter. She began to clean up while Albus and Sirius talked a few more minutes. Then Albus left again, and they were alone. Sirius took a dish towel and began to dry the dishes that she had just washed.

"This is nice," he said.

"What? Being back in Grimmauld Place?" she teased.

"Yeah. Reminds me of last fall, when I took every excuse to be around you. And cleaning dishes in the Muggle way is relaxing, I think. Sometimes I think wizards are very lazy."

"Muggles wouldn't think so. They'd snap up wands in a heartbeat, if they thought the dishes would get done faster that way. But I wouldn't be sorry if we had to do this every night together. You're right, it feels good." She looked back at the stairs. "So where's Kreacher lurking?"

"Git. He was upstairs a few minutes ago, grumbling about you, I believe."

"Might take him a while to warm up to me. Should I remind him your mother picked me for you? Maybe that'd change his mind." Maddy grinned at him.

He laughed, and they finished up cleaning. After walking through the house to ensure everything was secure, they apparated back home.

#

"Can you tell what I'm thinking now?" Maddy said in bed that night. She smirked at her husband, who lay next to her under the duvet.

Sirius propped himself up on an elbow and looked into her eyes. "You are thinking about – let me see – how fatigued you're going to be tomorrow morning, from all that bonking." His eyes gleamed.

Maddy gave a heavy sigh. "I've got a lot of work to do, if you can read my mind that easily." She smiled at him and toyed with his hair. "What was Snape's problem, anyway?"

"Why is the sky blue? He's a greasy little git. There is no rational explanation for him."

"I'm going to try to see Pettigrew. After Bellatrix."

He frowned. "I don't know, Mad. Maybe you should steer clear of him." He wouldn't ever tell Maddy this, but Pettigrew was still the subject of numerous nightmares. Even in his dreams, Sirius could never quite best the man, and the memory of all those bodies, the stench of blood, and Peter's disappearance with a tiny smile only Sirius could see was so vivid, as if it happened anew each time. Then he was always behind bars being attacked by dementors. He looked away to clear his mind of the intrusion, suddenly angry that Peter could pollute the time he had with his wife.

"No. He could be valuable," she went on. "Of course, I can barely remember what he looks like, so I don't know how successful I would be, anyway." Maddy touched his face softly and kissed him, and he wondered if she somehow knew what he was thinking.

"I want you to begin the occlumency straightaway," Sirius said. "Malfoy already knows you can see things, unless he convinced himself that you were making that vision up that you had about him. I agree with Dumbledore. We should keep you under the radar, so to speak. I'm not about to let you be a target for Voldemort."

He thought of Maddy's brother, and how the nasty git had been right, after all. The Dark Lord certainly wouldn't hesitate to use her for her abilities and throw her away if she outlived her usefulness. He could torture her into using the sight, and then use legilimency to probe her mind for what she had seen. The thought made him run cold. No, he would certainly keep Maddy as far away from Voldemort as possible.

"I want to ask your permission for something," Maddy went on.

"Well, that's a first. What for?"

"To _see_ you again."

Sirius moved closer and began caressing her naked body. Gooseflesh erupted on her belly where his hand touched her, and he put his lips to her neck. "You see me now." His breath was warm on her throat.

"If that scene might actually happen, I think it would make sense to look at it from a different perspective, if possible," she said. She drew in a breath at his touch. "But I'd rather have your consent first."

He stopped for a moment. "I'd want to see it, if you do."

"Well, Albus would have to first."

He snorted. "Yeah, well that's bloody ridiculous. You should be able to show me, at least."

"I agree. But I _did_ promise."

"Madeleine darling, can we stop talking about depressing stuff? I get enough of that dealing with the Order. Right now, I want to make love with you and forget anything else ever existed." His fingers explored the warm place between her legs. Gently at first, and when she squirmed at his touch, more relentless.

"Merlin, I love watching you when I'm doing this. Such a fucking turn-on," he murmured, burying his face in her neck again. He kissed it, soft enough to make her writhe some more at the sensation of his beard against her. "I love how you can't get enough of me." His hand continued stroking between her legs. "Oh God, you're _so_ wet. I was looking at you during the meeting, and I wanted to take you up to the bedroom and taste you. I wished everyone would just shut up and leave so I could go down on you."

Maddy laughed softly. "I want you inside me," she whispered. "Tell me more, though. I love to hear you talk to me like that. I love the sound of your voice." She felt him, hard against her, and tried to maneuver her hips under his to force him inside, but he moved his head down, parting her legs instead to satisfy that particular hunger. She gasped. "I love the feel of your tongue there. I want to taste _you_, though. Let me."

He ignored her, whispering back all he wanted to do while taking pleasure with his tongue for a long time, until she couldn't stand it any longer. When she came, very noisily, he grinned. "I love the sound of _your_ voice, as well. Particularly in the midst of ecstasy. Your turn, if you like."

"I do like. Lie on your back."

He rolled off her, and she proceeded to worship him with her body, as they had both promised each other. Using her lips and tongue, with his drawn-in breaths and whispers for "_More, Madeleine_," as a gauge, she brought him to the edge of orgasm.

"What do you want?" she said. They both panted heavily. "Do you want me here, or here?" She pointed between her legs and to her mouth.

"Mouth," he said, and when she obliged, he tangled his fingers in her hair, squirming and making every bit as much noise as she had.

#

The next morning, Sirius awoke to find Maddy out of bed and the sound of soft rain pattering against the window. He lay there for a few minutes, wondering if she was going to return. The house was quiet, though, and when she didn't, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and padded to the bathroom. When he had relieved himself, he dressed and went downstairs in search of her. Maybe she was fixing breakfast. He wandered into the kitchen, hoping for some coffee, but there was no sign of her in the room.

Then Sirius remembered the pensieve he had brought home the previous evening. Surely she hadn't used it without him, but perhaps he should check. He had deposited the heavy stone basin in one of the front rooms for the moment, intending to move it upstairs out of public view soon. The room was empty, but an unearthly glow coming from the corner told him it had been recently used.

"Madeleine?" he called out.

"I'm in here," a soft voice answered. He walked into the dining room, where Maddy sat at the large table. She had a leg propped up on it.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing, now."

He couldn't detect much from her tone or expression. He sank into a chair next to her. There was a acrid odor about the room, and he noticed at the same time her wand sitting on the table.

"What's that smell?"

She looked at him. "I burned something."

"Oh! Are you hurt, love?"

"No, I burned something on purpose, in the fireplace."

"What was that?"

"One of your shirts."

He was speechless for a moment. "Okay. Why did you do that?"

"It was the one you were wearing in ..." She nodded toward the glowing pensieve in the other room. "That vision."

"Mad, I wish you hadn't watched that yet."

"Sirius, promise me you won't go to the Ministry. Ever. I won't lose you to them."

He leaned over to touch her face. "You won't."

She seemed so melancholy, in contrast to the previous night, and Sirius wasn't sure how to make her feel better.

"Why don't we go somewhere this morning?" he suggested.

Maddy shook her head. "I think I'd rather stay here. I need to work on some things." No need to explain what _they_ were.

"Well, I suppose I'd better have a look at that thing, anyway," he said.

"The others are there, as well. The good ones, I mean."

"I'll look at them all."

"I'm sorry about your shirt. I panicked, I suppose."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry about it, darling. I understand."

Sirius left Maddy sitting there, and went into the other room. Dipping his finger in, he stirred the contents before he plunged his head into the misty pool. When he had seen everything, he staggered back a little and felt someone take hold of him; it was Maddy. He needed to tell her something, but he wasn't sure exactly how.

"Mad, that shirt you burned ..."

"Yeah?"

"It's not the one I had on in the vision."

She frowned. "Yes, it was."

He looked down at the one he had buttoned up that morning. "I had _this_ on."

"What?" She was alarmed. "That can't be. The one I saw you in just this morning looked totally different than this one."

"No, it was this shirt." Sirius didn't really want to discuss the rest of the vision. He was somewhat shaken up by it and needed some time alone to think about things.

Maddy had already thrown herself back into the memory before he realized it, and he was forced to wait on her to watch it again. Once she had done so, she stood in front of him, wooden.

"Jesus," she moaned. "We can't stop it. It's going to happen. You had the other one on when I saw it earlier. I don't know how that can be." She leaned against him for support, and he held her close to him, feeling her warmth as he stroked her hair. She started to cry.

"Mad. Please don't just accept that as a fact. _Please_."

But Maddy spent the rest of the day worrying about it. Where she had once been excited about the prospect of using visions to help the Order, the futility of trying to alter things had been brought home to her in a hurry. Sirius couldn't stop his own preoccupation with his supposed death, either. He finally left Maddy alone for a while, to tinker with the motorbike. He worried about himself, and her, and was forced to think of drawing up a will, a thought that thoroughly depressed him.

What about the child, though? Or _children_, he corrected himself. If the veil was absolute, wouldn't that be, also? Was there a way to come out of that place, if he were going to go?

That evening, Maddy fixed dinner, and they ate in silence for a while until she brought the topic up, surprisingly.

"When should we try for a child?"

He sat back and took a sip of wine. "I don't know. I'm tempted to say now, but I guess I just want to get you in bed." He attempted a smile.

"I've been thinking."

"As have I."

"I think you could live through this thing. I wonder how we can learn more about it. I know Albus said he'd check, but ..." One possible answer glowed bright in her mind all of a sudden. "Hermione."

"Hermione?" Sirius asked. "How could she know about it?"

"I'm sure she doesn't, yet. She's just the queen of research, and she's relentless. Perhaps I could get her to check it out ... just not tell her why."

"That's an idea." Sirius really wanted to get off the subject, and fortunately, Maddy did, too.

#

For the next few weeks, they didn't speak of the vision at all, though they spent a considerable amount of time practicing occlumency and legilimency, each with varying results. Sirius heard from Harry once, though, through the fireplace whilst Umbridge was tied up in a mess Fred and George had created for his benefit. Remus happened to be there at the time with Tonks, and the two men spoke for several minutes with him.

Afterward, both couples gathered in the drawing room, which was now outfitted with furniture and much more comfortable.

"What was that about?" Maddy asked.

Remus answered before Sirius could. "Oh, just that Harry saw something about his dad, and he wanted us to explain." He didn't go into any more detail, knowing Sirius would most likely repeat it to Maddy later on anyway. "We did ask him to pass along to Hermione a request for some research, so hopefully something will come of that soon. I know Albus has looked into it, as well. I'm afraid it will be difficult to learn much, though."

The conversation shifted to other topics, and before long, Remus and Tonks were making ready to leave. Once Sirius and Maddy were alone and in bed for the night, she asked him about Harry.

"Well, back in the day, Prongs and I were a bit ... cruel to Snivellus. Harry saw a memory that Snape didn't mean for him to see. I'd forgotten all about it. So that was probably my first taste of being a father."

"Come again?"

"Having to explain to my godson what an arrogant berk I used to be, and how – though I thoroughly despise the greasy fool – he didn't deserve that kind of treatment. Although he was always quick enough to give it back," he added. He rolled his eyes.

Maddy laughed. "Sirius, a father. I can't wait to see you with our children."

"Well, I'm looking forward to that, myself. I'm so enjoying it just being us now, though." He pushed the thought of a veil away, and kissed his wife.

They made love for a while. Afterward, lying with Sirius, Maddy wondered to herself if she should stop using the wand spells to prevent a pregnancy. Maybe not just yet, she decided.

#

Where April had possibly been the busiest month on record for Maddy and Sirius, May was much quieter. Hermione hadn't had any luck thus far with the Death Room research, but Maddy and Sirius both improved on their own projects. Maddy's attempt to see Pettigrew was met with nothing, and when she tried for Bellatrix again, she saw only the same thing as before. Sirius vanishing. It depressed her so much she felt like giving up.

But soon, she steeled herself to see Sirius as a subject, and felt much better about the results of that. Nothing very noteworthy had happened, but he appeared to be at least ten or fifteen years older, which was a good thing. Still the long hair, though more liberally streaked with gray. Wearing glasses now. And what he was doing in the vision made her even happier. He was teaching a class, and a familiar-looking boy was in it. A boy with dark hair and gray eyes who looked just like his father.


	40. An Old Plan, Revamped

"Right. I need to ask a favor." Maddy took a sip of beer and looked hard at Tonks.

"Sure. What is it?" Tonks had to speak loudly to be heard over the Friday night crowd at Murphy's. Musicians were tuning up in the corner for an Irish folk evening in Dingle, and a multinational crowd had clustered around them, anxious to grab the closest seats. Maddy and Tonks, who had apparated to this little spot in western Ireland, didn't mind being removed from everyone; they were left alone in a dim corner, though several young men had thrown curious glances their way, wondering if they were looking to meet up. When a few were enterprising enough to approach, Maddy grabbed Tonks's hand and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Uh, Mad? Is there something you're not telling me?" Tonks said, grinning.

"Nah. I just want us to be left alone. Do you know any unspeakables?" She let go of Tonks when the pair took the hint and wandered off in search of available females.

Tonks raised her eyebrows. "Oh, yeah. Jeremy Croaker. Jerrers is a decent bloke. And I know a few women, as well. Natasha Grant and Betsy Cleaver. Why do you ask?"

Maddy decided to be blunt. "I need information on a few areas in the Department of Mysteries. I'm sure you know where."

"And _I'm_ sure you know they're sworn to secrecy. They'll never tell you anything."

Maddy took another sip and set the pint glass down. "Well, not in the traditional sense, they won't. But there's a certain way, if I can swing it, where nobody would get into trouble. And I might be able to find out a few things."

"Just what are you up to, Mad? You'd better tell me!"

Maddy looked around, then felt silly. Nobody could hear her, and even if they did, they would think she was off her rocker. "I can get into their heads."

Tonks stared at her. "Jesus, Mad, I don't think legilimency's a good idea, especially with these people. They've got loads of training against that kind of thing."

"I think I can do it a different way."

"And how's that?"

"Getting in someone's head during a dream."

Tonks sat back with raised eyebrows. She finally remembered she had a beer, and took a few sips before speaking. "Care to explain?"

"I did it to Sirius a few times. Bloody near killed me, but – "

"Well, in that case, absolutely not!"

"Oh, I don't mean it literally ... it just wiped me out. It was very physically and emotionally draining."

"And what do you mean, you did it to Sirius?" Tonks asked, intrigued in spite of herself.

"Yeah. He was so hateful last summer, remember? I wanted to speak to him, but he wouldn't have any of it. He was all resentful that he had to come back to Grimmauld Place. So the thought occurred to me back then that it might be possible to get in his head while he was asleep. Into a dream, I mean. And it did help, a little."

Tonks stared at Maddy. "You are joking, right?"

"Nope."

"Blimey. So what happened?"

"Well, the first few times were nice. Saw him naked, if nothing else." She grinned. "But I felt guilty about it and stopped. But then he had a horrible dream. We were together by then. I got inside his head, then wound up admitting I'd done it, and, well, that was when I went back to Hogwarts, if that gives you any idea of Sirius's reaction."

The other witch nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, I remember. You patched it up quickly, though, didn't you?"

Maddy thought a minute. "Well, yes. I worried for a while that it was _too_ quick. I suppose I acted hastily, taking him back, and then there was this fear in my mind that the next time there was a problem, I'd get the same treatment." She shrugged. "But whatever ... we're past all that now.

"Anyway, I know it can be done. And if some unspeakable will tell me their secrets, it'll be worth it. Far as I'm concerned, I'll do anything to prevent this." There was no need to explain what she meant. Tonks nodded in understanding, though she still looked doubtful.

The music, after a few false starts, began in earnest, and people sitting at the tables close to the musicians clapped along. The two witches listened until the song was over. Maddy had a vague recollection of seeing her grandmother as a child and hearing her sing the same tune. She hadn't told Tonks how they had come to be in Dingle, after all.

"So what do you think Sirius will say about it?" Tonks asked. Her hair, still enchanted as a long curtain of black, shone in the flickering candlelight at their table. She looked intently at Maddy.

"I imagine he wouldn't like it. But I wasn't planning on telling him."

"Aha. I thought you'd say that."

Maddy raised an eyebrow. "And I'd appreciate if this remained between us, please. So no telling Remus."

Tonks shrugged. "Fine. Unless something bad happens. Nothing bad's going to happen, though, right?"

"Shouldn't." Maddy tried to sound reassuring, but she had another recollection, this one of Albus warning her that it was possible to allow some unknown entity access to her body if her soul had departed, even temporarily. She pushed the thought away, though.

"So tell me about the unspeakables. Is there one in particular I should choose?"

Tonks snorted. "I have no idea! I can't imagine what kind of criteria you'd be looking for. They're all highly competent wizards and witches."

"Do you know where they live?"

"Just Natasha. She's got a flat not far from mine in Clapham. I don't know where the others live. They're not the only unspeakables, of course. I just don't know any more. Arthur Weasley might be a better person to ask. He knows everybody there."

Maddy shook her head. "No, I think that Natasha would be a good start. Better to be someone physically close to where you live. I've not done it from a distance. Do you know her fairly well?"

Tonks sipped her beer. "I suppose. We've spoken several times. Been to a few training classes together, even though we do different things."

"Well, the thing is, I need her mind to be really open to this. Reckon there's any way you could slip her something?"

"You're not asking a lot, are you?" Tonks was torn between amusement and exasperation. "I dunno, Mad, this sounds way too tricky. I don't want you to get hurt. And I don't especially want to get my own arse in trouble!"

"No, really, can't you just take her a pudding or something and stuff some sleeping draught in it? Is it her birthday soon?"

"Maddy, you kill me!" Tonks said, laughing.

"I'm desperate, Tonks." Maddy's voice dropped as the music ended. "Or I wouldn't ask, I promise. I need to know everything there is to know about that archway, the room, and preferably the chambers around it. I need this Natasha, or whoever, to be conducive to letting me find out about it."

"Okay, Mad, I'll help you. However, I must insist on one thing. Either you tell Sirius you're going to do this, or let me tell Remus. If something were to go wrong, I'd want one of them knowing about it."

Maddy thought for a moment. "How about Albus? I'm afraid Sirius would worry too much, and Albus knows I've done it before, even if he didn't approve."

"Will he let you, though?"

Maddy shrugged. "He can't stop me. But it'd be safer, him knowing." She decided to change the subject for the moment. "How is Remus, by the way?"

"Very well. His last transformation was so much better. Believe it or not, I think Sirius getting married had a positive effect on him. He's been quite romantic lately."

"I'm glad to hear it!"

"How are you doing, though, Mad?"

"Tired of feeling like I'm hiding out, to be honest. It bothers me. Like I need a chaperone everywhere I go. I can't be this interesting a subject for the Ministry, _or _Voldemort. He probably doesn't remember me anyway, nor could care less!"

"Well, they know for sure you're married to Sirius now, don't they?" The raven-haired witch grinned.

"Oh, yeah. Sirius sent in a copy of our bonding license to record the marriage. Haven't heard from them since!"

Tonks drained her glass and stretched. "So, Maddy, feel like a stroll around town?"

Maddy nodded, rising. "Sounds good."

They left the noisy pub, taking a few turns to wind back through the little town. Most businesses were closed for the evening, and all was quiet, unless they happened to pass by another pub or restaurant, all of which were thriving. Tonks dropped the subject of unspeakables, and instead gushed about her relationship with Remus.

"So I had a false alarm last week," she said, bracing herself against a sudden gust of wind that had blown up.

"What happened?" Maddy asked. She zipped up the muggle jacket she was wearing.

"Thought I was pregnant. Dear Lord, Remus would die if that happened! Fortunately, I was wrong." She looked out at a few twinkling lights on the bay. "I just wish he would stop worrying about what people will think of me for being with him. As if I care!"

"He loves you very much, though."

Tonks snorted. "Yeah, I finally managed to get that out of him. After months. So are you and Sirius wanting children? Or is it too early to say?"

Maddy grimaced. "Yeah. I've been wondering if we should try, actually. I think we're both a bit torn about it. After that damned vision."

Tonks wasn't keen to talk about the vision at the moment, but she braced herself anyway. "Do you really believe it'll happen?"

"I don't know. But it's always in the back of my mind. I refuse to believe that things can't be changed, though, which is why it's so important to at least try to get into somebody's head."

They walked for a few minutes in silence. The bay stretched out on one side, and a stiff breeze blew continually.

"Beautiful here," Tonks commented.

"It is, isn't it? Some of my grandparents are from County Clare, not far from here. My gran brought me to Dingle a few times as a kid. Lots of magical families live here."

"Wow! Oh yeah, I forgot the Irish name. Both sets were Irish?"

"Three-fourths. My mum's dad was a Scot, a Fraser. I think he met her mother at Hogwarts. But they lived in Ireland when they were married."

"How did you come to be born and raised in England?"

"Dad got on at Gringotts just after leaving Hogwarts. He worked in security there for several years." _Until he went mad_, she thought, but she didn't say it out loud.

"Mmm. What did Sirius's parents do?"

"Sat on their gold thinking up ways to torture Muggles, probably. I'm not sure his dad actually had a real job!" She laughed. "He's never said."

Maddy thought of Sirius, and immediately felt a pang at his absence. He and Remus had gone out to do their own investigating tonight, though he wouldn't say where. She thought of telling him what she planned with the unspeakables, particularly Natasha, but she knew he would do his best to keep her from it. She could worry about that later, though.

"Well, ready to return?" Tonks asked. "Maybe Remus and Sirius are back at your house now."

Maddy was jolted out of her daydream. "Yeah, let's go."

They turned a corner and ducked into a dark cobbled street.

"Oh well, nobody's around. Let's just leave from here," Tonks whispered, and she took Maddy's arm.

"Ready?"

Maddy had barely registered a response when she was swept away through the void of apparition. Several seconds passed, and they emerged outside the house at Hogsmeade.

"Next stop, Rotherwood," Tonks said, in a perfect imitation of a Knight Bus conductor's drone. They looked around in the darkness, not particularly concerned about intruders because of Sirius's efficient protections on the grounds, but thinking it wise to be cautious.

"Reckon they've returned?"

Maddy looked up at the house. A few lights burned behind the curtains. "Not sure." She walked up to the front door and pulled out her wand to whisper the security spells. The door opened easily, and they walked in to the sound of distant muggle rock music. "They must be in the kitchen."

"Siri?" she called out.

"In the kitchen," a man's voice replied over the noise. The women walked through the house and into the large room where Sirius and Remus were sitting. An almost-empty bottle of Ogden's Old was on the table, and Sirius had a crystal glass in his hand, swirling the contents. He gave Maddy an overly bright smile when she walked up, and she tasted firewhiskey on his lips when he kissed her.

"Wotcher, fellers," Tonks said. She raised an eyebrow at Remus, who nursed his own glass, rather uncharacteristically. "Having a good time?"

"Yeah. Just talking," Sirius said. He leaned back in his chair, and Maddy put her hands on his shoulders.

"Where did you go earlier?" Maddy asked. She turned the music down slightly with her wand.

"Just a few places on Order business." Sirius wasn't inclined to elaborate, and Maddy figured she could worm it out of him later. "How about you ladies?"

"Went to Dingle town."

"What, Ireland?"

Maddy pulled up a chair next to him, and Tonks sat down next to Remus. "Yeah. They usually have live music on Friday evenings. We listened to a couple of guys singing."

Sirius gave Maddy a long look. "What else?"

"That's pretty much it." She didn't look at Tonks. "Have you spoken to Albus lately?"

His look grew even more speculative. "No. Did you need to speak to him?"

"Yeah. But I'll send him a patronus message later."

Remus, who had been quiet since their entrance, spoke up. "Dora, are you ready to go home?" He was in as much a state of alcohol-induced relaxation as his drinking companion, and his eyes wandered up and down Tonks's body. She noticed, and their eyes met.

"Yes, anytime."

"Well, Pads, I suppose we'll be off," Remus said, standing up straight. "I'm looking forward to sleeping late tomorrow." He looked at Tonks again, and Maddy was amused to see his usual passive expression replaced with one that was positively lecherous. She bit her lip and glanced at Sirius, who was looking at _her _much the same way. He winked at her.

The other two said their goodnights, and were gone shortly thereafter. Sirius and Maddy returned to the kitchen, where she poured a glass of wine. He gave her a more lingering kiss, now that they were alone. Then he moved next to her, leaning against the counter with his own glass.

"So what did you and Remus do while we were gone?" She took a sip.

"Had a little prowl around a few places of interest. Then a meeting of the 'Remember When' club. We're the charter, and only, members." Sirius smiled, but it was now laced with wistfulness. "Sorry about this." He lifted up his now empty whiskey glass, which he had replaced with wine in a different one.

"Why? You're entitled, now and again." Maddy topped his hand, resting on the countertop, with her own. "Are you going to read me the minutes of this meeting?"

"Oh, it's just old thirty-something men reminiscing. In case we never get to do it again."

"Merlin, Sirius, don't say that."

"Y'know," he continued quietly, "my life's been one instance of hell after another, with Azkaban being the seventh circle or so. I'm allowed only a few moments of happiness in between. Why is it someone always wants to take that away from me?" It was an often-asked question with no answer, and a hint of despair shone through.

"What if we don't let them?" Maddy said. She clutched his hand tighter. "I think, if a thing is shown to me, it should be alterable, surely, no matter what fucking shirt you're wearing in it." She tried to smile. Then she went on, deciding she didn't want to keep her idea a secret from him after all. "I thought of a way to get information about the Death Room. If it works, and that's a big 'if'."

"How's that?"

"Find an unspeakable and get into their head when they're sleeping. Like I did with you."

"Oh God. No, Mad, I don't think so."

"Well, I do. Tonks is going to help me."

"I don't want you to."

"Even if you are actually going to enter that archway and not return? It's worth it if we can prevent that."

"You're risking your – "

"I'm not. It just wears me out for a bit. I wanted to speak to Albus about it anyway."

Sirius looked doubtful. "Well, it's better than anything we've come up with so far," he admitted. "But -"

"It's settled, then," Maddy said, before he could object further. "I'll ask him about it as soon as possible."

#

Two nights later, on Sunday, Tonks knocked on the door of Number Three, Brighton Terrace in Clapham. A tall blonde woman answered shortly.

"Wotcher, Tasha! Told you I'd bring you a piece of this stuff." Tonks held up a plate covered in plastic wrap.

"Oh yeah. Thanks! How was your boyfriend's birthday party? Come on in!"

"Oh, it was very nice," Tonks lied. "Just a few of us, really. Just way too much of this cake left over, and I was afraid it would go stale. Thought you might like a piece. But honestly, I need to be going ... he's waiting for me. Hope you're hungry!" _And hope I'm not laying it on too thick_! she thought.

"Absolutely. This looks wonderful. Come over sometime when you can hang out, though, all right?"

"I will, definitely. Cheers." Tonks smiled and turned around to go down the front steps.

The short walk to her own flat took only a few minutes, and she walked inside. Maddy looked up from a book that she had been trying, and failing, to read. She gripped a cup of tea and took a drink.

"How'd it go?"

"Well, she's probably devoured it and is finishing it off with a glass of milk," Tonks pronounced with a grin. "Should be out like a light until tomorrow, once it takes effect."

"Good. Albus should be here soon," Maddy said. "I have to admit, I'm a little nervous about this. I'm afraid it won't work."

Tonks shrugged. "All you can do is try. I'm sure it will be fine, though." Her words sounded more confident than she felt, but she wasn't about to make Maddy more tense. They spoke about superficial topics for several minutes, conveniently avoiding the one at hand.

A knock on the door made them both jump, and Maddy cursed and wiped off tea she had just spilled down her blouse as a result. Tonks opened the door to reveal Dumbledore, who wore a pleasant smile, as if he were doing nothing more pressing than taking an evening walk.

"How are you both?" he asked politely. Tonks motioned for him to enter.

"Fine, I guess," Maddy answered. She set the tea cup down and rose to greet him with a hug. He got right to the point.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I don't _want_ to, but I think there's a pretty good shot it will give me some information we can't get otherwise."

"You have the vials for the pensieve?"

Maddy picked up a small box from the cocktail table and handed them to him.

"Good! Now, Ms. Grant is already fast asleep, with her cat curled up at her legs. I checked. I hope you're sufficiently rested, because you'll want to be doing this as soon as possible. But of course you don't need me telling you that. I'll stay with you the whole time."

Tonks led the way to her bedroom. "I cleaned it up for you, Mad," she said. "Which is more than poor Remus gets."

She left Albus and Maddy in the room, closing the door behind her.

"Sirius is at home?" he asked.

"Yeah. I told him you'd send him a patronus to let him know I was all right."

Albus nodded. "Well, let's get started, then."

Maddy went to the bed and lay down on it. She felt strange having a man watch her do it, but Albus had already told her his presence would be a help in keeping away any strange spirits. Maddy didn't ask how he planned to do _that_. She didn't want to know more about any odd spirits roaming around, either.

"You committed her address to memory, I presume?"

"Been by there three times today." Now she silently cursed her voice for sounding so shaky. It would take her forever to relax at this rate.

"Let's get started, then," he repeated. Maddy nodded and closed her eyes.

She didn't notice Albus slide his hand over the air in front of her face, and she was surprised to find herself very calm almost immediately. The words _Natasha Grant _sounded around her, somehow, reminding her she should be getting on with her mission. She pictured Number Three down the street, and tried to escape her body. From months of inactivity, her spirit, or whatever it was named, seemed reluctant to depart. But after a few tries, she pried it out of her body and looked down.

Albus sat next to the bed, deep in thought, and Maddy herself was unmoving. He took her hand in his and held his wand protectively over her with his other one. She moved on.

Tonks was in the next room, trying to concentrate on her own book, but looking up every so often as if she might hear something. Maddy passed her by as well. She wondered if this was how ghosts felt, if they were capable of _feeling_. The door gave way and she melted through it and into the night. She realized that she could zip along faster if she felt like it, noticing that the coolness of the evening didn't affect her at all. In seconds, she was outside of Number Three. She plunged through the door and into the flat, trying to recall all the things it might be wise to ask if she were successful. The place was dark and quiet, and the bedroom was easy to find.

Natasha lay in the bed, looking as though she may never wake up. Her cat jumped up suddenly, though, and growled. Maddy ignored it and continued to draw herself closer to the woman, who emitted a soft snore. After a few tries hovering outside the body, she managed to do the same thing she had to Sirius.

The other woman was in the middle of a dream, all right. Natasha was watching a man, some famous muggle she'd seen in a movie, undress seductively for her, and Maddy sighed. _Sorry, lady_, she thought. _This is more important._

_Excuse me._ She cleared her throat. While Natasha watched, she shoved Dream Muggle out of the way. He disappeared, flailing, into the mist. Suddenly she remembered to alter her appearance, which she hoped the woman hadn't noticed yet. She pictured a leading lady from the same film, she hoped, and looked down at herself. _Not _too_ bad_, she thought when she saw her revised appearance.

_What the fuck?_ Natasha was indignant.

_We need to talk._

_Bloody hell. I was just about to get laid! That never happens to me in dreams! Go away and bring him back._

_He's gay_, Maddy lied. _Anyway, I need to know something. _

_What? _the woman groused.

_Tell me about the Death Room in the Department of Mysteries. And the Love room, while you're at it. _

_What?! Christ, I get enough of that shit five days a week. I fucking hate it when I dream about work. It's like I never left. If you _must_ be here, can't we talk about something else?_

_Nope, sorry. I want to know if it's possible to come back from the other side of that archway._

Natasha pulled the covers up over her naked body. _Yeah. It is. Can I have Colin back now?_

_Not yet. Tell me how it's done._

_You have to go in after them. Someone on the life side has to help. Now go away!_

Maddy sobered_. Then what? Yank them back out?_

_Okay. First, they have to be persuaded, and quickly. We've lost some that way, mind you. _

_Oh God. What does that mean?_

Natasha finally got down to business._ It's death. Plenty of people don't want to return. None of us fear it, though, once we've come back. Except for the few who didn't wind up in the same place as the rest. Trust me, _they_ wanted to come back. And the ones who went to get them regretted doing it. Occupational hazard, though. They came back, and got shuffled out of the department and straight into St. Mungo's. But hey, at least they got a second chance. _Suddenly she seemed eager to talk, and Maddy sensed, through her mind, that this outlet was the only one she was likely to get without being in major trouble with the Ministry.

_Why does it need to be quick?_

_Time doesn't exist there. Well, it does, just much differently than on the life side. It doesn't take long to get comfortable. _

_So how does one go about rescuing a person who went through?_

Natasha rolled her eyes and looked around Maddy. Dream Muggle was back.

Maddy sighed in exasperation._ Right. Not yet, okay? My time is valuable, lady. I have to know this stuff. _Maddy shoved him back out of the dream. _Now answer me! _

The woman glared at her, but she answered the question. _Well, it's a bit tricky. That person usually doesn't want to return, either. But it's really a simple matter of being bound to someone on the life side. They have to be able to rein you back in. _

_What, with a rope or something? _

_Well, yes, something strong enough to hold two people._

_Jesus. What if I can't, er, what if you can't find the one you look for?_

_It depends on your connection to them. They tend to wind up with their loved ones, or they're doing something they loved on the life side. Loads of Quidditch leagues over there. _She rolled her eyes again. _I've been twice, and my two cats, who had died, were with me. Very sunny, tropical place. _

Maddy had to ask._ Did you see God? _

Natasha considered this. _ Yeah, I think so. Well, you can't really look on him, but he's this lovely presence there. I always figured he'd look like Albus Dumbledore. Or Merlin himself. But we'll never know, I suppose. _

_So if you were looking for someone you loved, who loved you, they might be easy to find?_

_Yeah. Pretty quick, even for there._

_So even in your experiments, you are able to find the people you're looking for?_

_Not always, _Natasha said_. We had to know a whole lot about them first, in order to find them. And as I told you, some people refuse to return._

Maddy thought of something else_. What's the Other Place there like, from what you've heard?_

_The Bad Place? Hell? Well, it's a lot like the Love Room._

Maddy hadn't known what to expect as a response, but it wasn't this.

_What are you talking about? _she asked.

_I've been in the Love Room, as well. It's the fucking saddest place on earth._

_Why would it be sad? Seems like it would be just the opposite. _

_You'd think so, wouldn't you? But you know how it is. You love, you get your heart broken. People die and leave you, or break up with you. _Nobody_ likes to run experiments in the Love Room. But that's what the other place is like. You're alone, and unhappy. It's very difficult to get in there, and sometimes people go for a spell in St. Mungo's afterward, as well._

Maddy wanted to ask more, but she was suddenly pulled away at light speed, out of the flat, down the street, and back into her body with a wicked jolt. She drew in a loud breath, bowing up her body, and Albus stood over her, wand raised.

"Learn anything?" he asked. He held a vial in his other hand. "Stay awake long enough for me to get it."

"Yeah," she whispered. "Very illuminating. Where's my husband?" She wanted nothing more than to be held by him.

"I'll summon him."

Maddy had the brief sensation of a thread of thought taken from her, and she was out for the count. She never noticed the dark-haired wizard who climbed into the bed, drawing her close with soft kisses.


	41. June Approaches

By the time Maddy awoke late that afternoon, Sirius had already watched the results of her unusual conversation with Natasha Grant in the pensieve at Rotherwood. Dumbledore observed it, as well, and when it was done, he withdrew his head and looked at the younger wizard.

"So it's not necessarily the end. Interesting."

"Cold comfort," Sirius said flatly. "I certainly couldn't be an unspeakable, though. I must admit, the Love Room wasn't anything as I pictured. I figured it was all snogging and shagging like minxes in there." The corner of his lip twisted upward.

"So it's really something no more physically complicated than pulling someone out. Spiritually, though – that's another matter, obviously." Albus looked down, contemplating that. "Is it wrong to do it? Retrieve someone once they've gone through? And what happens if they come back? Too bad Ms. Grant didn't elaborate on the ethics a bit more."

"She did, just not in so many words. The bad place – Hell, do you think? – well, surely I wouldn't wind up there! Oh, never mind. I don't like talking about this." He knew very well what hell would be like. All alone in a cold, dank cell in Azkaban.

Albus agreed, and at that moment they heard a noise coming from downstairs. Sirius walked out to the landing and looked down in the direction of the front door.

"Just mail delivery," he said, turning back to Albus. "Let's get back to Tonks's, if you don't mind. I'd like to check on Mad."

Once they arrived at the flat, Maddy was up, though very groggy, and was drinking a cup of coffee. Tonks had taken a day off from work to stay with her, and she and Maddy were in the midst of a deep discussion that dwindled to nothing when the two men walked in. A recent issue of _Witch Weekly_ was on the table between them. Maddy flipped it closed when Sirius walked up to her.

He leaned over to kiss her softly, intending just a chaste peck on the lips. But she returned it with a sensual flick of her tongue that no one else noticed. He looked down at her, surprised.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired. But not as knocked out as I expected to be."

"And what have you ladies been discussing?"

Maddy paused and glanced at Tonks. "Whether or not to try another unspeakable. I'm afraid I wouldn't be quite so lucky next time, though."

"I think one was enough," Sirius said, more sharply than he intended. "She gave you plenty of information. More than enough, really." Then he softened a bit and caressed her hair. "You did very well, though, Mad."

"Thanks. You're probably right ... no point in going through that again, at least right now. Do you mind if we go home? Tonks would probably like her flat back." She smiled wearily at the other witch.

Tonks started to protest, but Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready to go. Albus, is there anything more that you need?"

Albus shook his head. "Not at this time. I'll be in touch." He patted Maddy's shoulder.

They apparated home as quickly as Sirius had come. Once inside the house, Maddy sank into a sofa and swung her legs up on it to lie down.

"Do you feel alright?" Sirius's face was over her own, and he frowned down on her.

"Yeah. I'm still a bit knackered."

"I thought I'd start dinner. Are you hungry?" He sat on the edge of the couch.

"I will be by the time it's done," Maddy answered, yawning.

"You got some owl post, by the way," he said. He showed her an envelope with a maroon seal on it. An 'M' was embedded in the waxy glob that held it together.

"The Ministry?" Maddy looked at it uneasily.

"Looks like it. Want me to open it?"

She nodded. He tore open the envelope and pulled out a cream colored sheet of parchment. First, he read it silently; then, he began to recite it in a monotone.

"Dear Mrs. Black, You are currently under investigation for a variety of seditious activities during your tenure at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and are hereby notified to appear before the Ministry of Magic on the twenty-third of June, 1996 at eleven o'clock in the morning for questioning. Failure to appear constitutes a violation of Magical Statute 1911.2, and you will be held in contempt. Very sincerely, Amelia Bones." Sirius didn't bother reading her list of credentials. He lowered the parchment and looked at Maddy. "Well, that gives us three weeks or so. I like how she doesn't bother to elaborate on the seditious activities. They don't have a fucking leg to stand on."

"Shit. So I just stay away? What does it mean to be in contempt?"

"I don't know what they'd actually _do_," Sirius admitted. "I don't trust them an inch, but I'd best ask Kingsley about this. Surely he knows what's going on and can do something. I'll pass it along to Albus, as well. That nasty bitch Umbridge, though ... she's just getting back at me through you! I should have made that transfiguration spell irreversible."

Maddy had managed to keep thoughts of Umbridge at a distance, but his words sparked a memory of the short stubby wand being pointed at her, while a pink-haired woman looked on with a satisfied Cheshire cat grin as she screamed. She blanched at the memory now, but was determined to file it back wherever it had come from.

Oblivious to her thoughts, Sirius kissed her, then wandered into the kitchen to make dinner. Maddy rested on the sofa as he did, thinking about the Ministry and what might happen to her. She had heard Sirius say, many months before, that Amelia Bones was very fair. That was when Harry had been summoned. Fudge had done his best to see him expelled back then. If he would do that to a teenager, what would he try to do to _her_?

They ate dinner, only making small talk as music from the local station in Hogsmeade played in the background. Sirius tried not to appear worried about the summons, but it was obvious his mind was elsewhere. Finally, he pushed his plate away, swung his arm over the back of the chair, and leaned back with the ghost of a smile on his face.

"I have the most brilliant idea."

"You do? What is it?"

"You've not taken a ride on the motorcycle yet."

"Ah. Are you volunteering to give me one?"

"I am. How about tomorrow, if the weather improves?"

She nodded. "Sounds lovely." Maddy had never been on a motorcycle before, and was secretly apprehensive about being on the back of one. But Sirius hadn't been given the opportunity to ride it much, and she knew he would be pleased if she showed an interest in it.

Sirius stood up, stretching, and took their plates. Then he came back to stand behind Maddy, his fingers threading through her hair. "Don't worry, Mad. I will not let anyone hurt you again."

Maddy looked up and smiled at him. "I know. Same here."

"Y'know the other thing we need to do. Or you, rather, if you want."

"What?"

"Get rid of that." His finger trailed down to her back, stopping where a tattoo had been inked into her skin by Bellatrix a few months earlier. Maddy had put off having it removed, but it was a reminder to Sirius every time he saw it that he wasn't through with his cousin, nor Lucius Malfoy.

"Yeah, I know." Maddy felt curiously numb at the moment, and didn't want to think about that experience. But she knew the tattoo would have to be taken care of, and the sooner, the better.

Instead, she changed the subject. "We should probably work on the legilimency and occlumency. What do you think?"

Sirius nodded. "I'm rather fond of that practice, personally." He gave her a sly grin. So far he had been more successful than he had expected at delving into Maddy's mind, and he usually liked what he found there when her guard was down. He suspected, however, that she was letting him in. Thus far, occlumency didn't seem to be very difficult for her, and Sirius could easily tell when he was being blocked off. He was proud of his own efforts, though, having never given legilimency much thought before now.

They went up to their bedroom to get ready for bed. "The problem is," Maddy said, "we're looking at the good stuff. And it's just you and me, so I don't mind you seeing personal things. We're going to have to make this more challenging somehow."

She stretched out on the bed, taking a deep breath. Sirius lay beside her. "What would Voldemort or a Death Eater look for? Something to use against you ... expose your weaknesses ... see what you know."

Privately, though, he knew that for all their efforts, neither one might be able to block the Dark Lord if the situation were stressful enough. But he still found these exercises worthwhile; sometimes intrusive, but usually exciting. He looked into Maddy's eyes, and decided to catch her off guard. Suddenly he was there, looking inside her. And before she could stop him, he saw something unexpected, something that was obviously at the forefront of her mind. She managed to block the intrusion, more in an effort to practice than not wanting him to know, but it was too late. Maddy had thought of trying for a baby, and as soon as possible, though she was torn about it.

They both lay on the bed, looking at each other. "Right. And what if something ... happens to me? You'd be raising a child on your own." There was no need to explain what he was talking about.

"I've thought of that. I think – well, I keep thinking that I'm seeing you as an older man." She remembered the vision of him and the grey-eyed boy in a classroom. "I always have. I refuse to believe anything's going to happen to you." She wanted to sound confident about that, though she was anything but. "And to be honest, I have very mixed feelings about becoming pregnant right now. I'm just enjoying being with you, just the two of us. We've plenty of time for children down the road. It was just a thought I had. I wasn't plotting anything without your knowledge, seeing as how I would require your participation and all."

"Understood. Though you know _that _won't be a problem. Now, you try."

"Right now? With you anticipating me? That's hardly fair." She smiled.

"I know."

Maddy looked into Sirius's grey eyes, and drowned in their depths. He made no effort to hinder her, and she saw one thing very clearly. When she came back to herself, she laughed.

"Well, well, Mr. Black. Are you wanting to take a break already?"

Sirius grinned. "Couldn't block you fast enough. Oh well. And the answer is yes." He drew her close to him. "If we're to have a baby someday, it's just as important that we practice this, you know? And I want you very badly, Mrs. Black, especially after you were a bit of a tease earlier in the day." He flicked his tongue on her lips lightly to remind her. "Are you too tired?" He grabbed his wand off the nightstand and put out the light.

"No. You know what the best position is for getting pregnant, though?"

"What is it?"

"I don't know either. I'm afraid we'll need to try several, so you'd best brace yourself."

He laughed, and moved until he was on top of her. "Start here, then?" he murmured.

"Yes, _please_."

The sound of raindrops on the roof began as a slow pitter-patter. Sirius and Maddy ignored it, intent on their mutual pleasuring. Gradually the rain intensified, in tandem with their activity, until it was a dull roar. A deluge of raindrops pelted the window of their bedroom now, echoed by beads of his sweat that flecked her body when he shoved himself repeatedly inside her. Thoroughly aroused by being in the midst of lightning streaks and crashing thunder, he came just as noisily and sank down, heaving, on Maddy's chest. She kissed him, tasting the saltiness of his skin, and raked her nails lightly up his back. He shivered at the touch, then laughed softly as he looked up at her.

"You are absolutely delicious, lovely Mad."

Still breathless, Maddy traced her fingers across Sirius's face, and he flicked his tongue over one of them. "So are you," she whispered.

"You didn't use the charm, did you?" He eased himself off her as the thought occurred to him.

"Oh. Well, no. Shit; I wasn't thinking about it. I'm sorry." Maddy typically used a contraceptive charm before intercourse, but only just realized she had neglected to do it this time. "I swear it's not because of our previous conversation." Her smile was rueful, and he saw it only because lightning flashed in that moment.

"Don't worry about it, dear." He took his hand and placed it reflexively on her belly. They didn't speak for a while, and once the storm died down, the only sounds remaining were those of steady rain still pattering the roof, and their deep, even breathing.

#

An entire week of torrential rainfall effectively nipped the motorcycle ride in the bud for the moment. Maddy and Sirius improvised by meeting Remus and Tonks one afternoon for lunch in a small seaside town in western England. Maddy also spent more time on visions, but when nothing interesting happened after several attempts, she was full of self-doubt and wondered if her ability had dissipated for good.

After seven straight days of rain, a Friday morning in early June was so pleasant that Maddy joked that Sirius had gotten disgusted and influenced the weather by use of magic. A few puffy clouds dotted an otherwise serene landscape of rolling hills, greened up from the abundance of rain, and a deep blue sky.

She zipped up her jacket late that morning and slogged her way across the saturated lawn. Walking up to the entrance to the garage door, she stood for a moment watching Sirius. His hair hung over his face as he frowned in concentration, wiping specks of dust off the bike that were invisible to her. A black leather jacket that looked more Hell's Angels than wizard had been slung over the seat.

"Have you put that stuff in it already?" she asked.

"What stuff?" He looked up at her, pausing in his ministrations.

"That petrol stuff Muggles use."

Sirius grinned. "Who needs that?"

"So what kind of motorcycle is this?"

He straightened up. "This, my dear, is a '59 model Triumph Bonnie. T120," he added, as if anyone knew what that meant. He picked up the jacket and shrugged it on.

"Bonnie? Is that her pet name?"

"Sort of. It's called a Bonneville. The first year they made these. Bought it when I was sixteen, and it's been the source of many good memories." He smiled.

"I'm sure." Maddy began to wander around the garage. She hadn't been in here but a few times since they had moved in. It hadn't taken Sirius long to make it his own. She smiled at the various posters he had hung up; they were a mish-mash of famous Quidditch players, a few muggle sports cars, and vintage broomstick adverts from the thirties. "I've not seen too many wizarding households that had a garage. Do you reckon somebody actually kept a car here at one time?"

"Dunno. The witch who lived here before us had already died by the time I bought the place. Perhaps her husband had one before he passed, whenever that was. I'm glad, though. I like the space."

Sirius's wand was perched on a workbench in the corner, and he slid it into his jacket pocket.

"Ready?"

Maddy nodded, feeling inside her own coat though she knew her wand was already there.

"Well, then," he said, swinging his leg over it and gripping the handlebars as he situated himself, "hop on, love."

She hesitated only for a second, then followed suit after tying her hair back in a ponytail and sliding on some sunglasses.

"Now, hang on tight."

"Don't worry about that," she muttered. She encircled her arms around his waist.

He pushed a pair of sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, and stomped his foot on the kickstarter. The first few tries were unsuccessful before the engine finally rumbled to life. Then, with a second reminder thrown over his shoulder for Maddy to hang on, he pulled out. Gravel crunched under the tires as they drove beneath the enormous trees that shaded the drive. Once at the Hogsmeade Road, he slowed down, presumably to turn. But then Maddy felt a hesitation, as if an invisible force was holding them back. But then it released them, thrusting the motorcycle forward through the spells protecting the house and grounds. Sirius had gone to great lengths personalizing them to recognize his family and friends. Anyone else who tried to gain entrance was rebuffed in increasing amounts, depending on how hard they were trying. He liked to say that it was the one useful thing his father had taught him, whether he meant to or not.

The road into Hogsmeade was a short one, and more of a country lane than a road, but once they were on a straight stretch, Sirius shouted something over his shoulder.

"What?" Maddy hollered back.

"I said, it's a bit of a shock the first time! Not unlike riding a broom, though, so don't worry!" His message was garbled by the roar of the engine, though, and when the bike left the ground, Maddy shrieked in surprise.

He accelerated quickly, and they sped higher into the air. She clung to him for dear life, determined to give him a piece of her mind when they were safely on the ground again. He was right, though. It wasn't much different than riding a broom, though Maddy had never been very accomplished at that, either. She had been much happier when she became old enough for apparition lessons. It still remained her preferred method of travel.

Once she had calmed down slightly, Maddy peeked down. Hogsmeade village was almost directly below, with its steep rooftops of varying degrees and high chimneys. She spied the Hog's Head and realized she hadn't been there in ages. Perhaps they could go some night and have a drink, if they could tear Aberforth away from his goats long enough.

"You all right, darling?" he shouted over his shoulder.

"Yeah!" Slightly more relaxed now, Maddy continued her observations. The immense Black Lake was before them, surrounded by mountains, though none were very tall, as far as mountains went. Off in the distance, she could see a much larger one, known as Meall a' Bhuiridh. They flew for several minutes in silence, both enjoying the view. The steady drone of the engine was the only thing interrupting the solitude.

"That's where I spent a lot of time a few years back," Sirius called to her several minutes later. He had gone somewhat lower now that they were past Hogsmeade, and he pointed toward one area, craggy and desolate. She saw a black slit surrounded by loose rock and very little foliage, and realized it must be the cave that he had hidden out in for almost a year. She recalled her first glimpse of Sirius after his incarceration, and pictured him here, struggling for survival.

"Ready to turn back?" he asked. "I didn't bother with a disilllusionment charm, or we could go further."

"No, home's fine."

He turned the bike around in a slow arc, and gunned the engine. The motorcycle responded immediately, and they sped back toward the house. Maddy peered around Sirius's shoulder and noticed several tiny black forms in the distance; vultures were circling over carrion next to the lake. As he grew closer, they began to disperse, fleeing from the source of the noise. One stayed, however, and she realized quickly that it wasn't a bird. A wizard on a broom, initially a distant speck, was racing toward them, his hand extended as if holding a wand. Sirius shouted a warning to her, whipping his own wand out, and Maddy, who tried to hang on to him with one hand while grappling with hers, managed to clench it in her fist. Just then, the unknown rider blasted a jet of light from his wand that narrowly missed the bike.

Sirius countered with his own spell, hitting the wizard on the shoulder. The man grimaced in pain, but hung doggedly on to the broomstick. Sirius didn't bother waiting for him to recover, but raced toward him, kamikaze-style, as he fired another spell. It missed when the rider swerved out of the way, and the wizard flung a curse with his good arm just as Sirius was turning the bike in mid-air. It hit Maddy's leg. Crying out in pain and rage, she fired one back in retaliation. Sirius did the same, and they both hit their assailant at once. He slapped a hand over his eyes, screaming, and dropped his wand. He slumped over the broomstick, which began to lose altitude quickly once it perceived a lack of direction from its owner. It spiraled downward as they watched, eventually landing in the Black Lake with a silent splash. The man disappeared under the water.

Sirius hesitated only a second, then descended quickly with Maddy holding on tightly. Once they were directly above the lake, he looked for a trace of him. There was none.

"The impact must have killed him!" Maddy yelled over the engine noise. She winced at the pain in her leg and looked down at it. It wasn't bleeding, but it hurt like hell.

Sirius nodded. "Where are you hurt?" he called out.

"My leg. I think it'll be okay, though."

He continued hovering over the water on the remote chance that the wizard might resurface. Finally, he gave up and ascended again. They flew back toward Hogsmeade in silence with Maddy's arms still around him.

#

Once they entered the protection of Rotherwood, Sirius slowly maneuvered the bike up the drive and into the garage. He climbed off first, and gave his hand to assist Maddy. She slid off the bike, landing on her good leg.

"Can you walk?"

She nodded, and he put an arm around her. Rather than walk into the house, Sirius apparated them both directly to their bedroom. Maddy eased herself onto the bed, wincing at the pain in her leg. She managed to get her jeans off for a look at whatever damage might be there, but she only saw a large red welt.

"Is it broken? I'm not sure what kind of curse he used."

"No, but it'll be sore for a while." Maddy touched the place and gasped at the pain.

"What'd you use on him? I did the conjunctivitis, and then a stupefy."

"Good one. I used jelly fingers. Was he Ministry, do you think?"

"I don't know, but I'm contacting Kingsley straightaway. There's something funny about the Ministry sending a grunt after us if they're expecting you there later in June. He probably would have known about it already, but perhaps he can tell me something. A Death Eater would be the other option. I'm leaning toward that."

"We killed him." Maddy stated the obvious flatly. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. The man had attacked_ them_, after all. He deserved what he got, and he should have known better than to attack two wizards at once by himself, and in the air, no less. Should they report it, though? To a Ministry that wanted to see her punished already? Sirius echoed her thoughts.

"Yes, well he had it coming. And damned if I will say a word to anyone at the Ministry about this, other than Kingsley. Here, let me help you, Mad."

He assisted her in putting more comfortable clothes on, and left to contact Kingsley while she treated the pain with a spell. The other wizard was mystified, though. He didn't think it could be a Ministry-ordered attack, but he promised to look into it. He was already aware of Maddy's summons, and he knew it was Umbridge's influence that had spurred it. Unsatisfied, Sirius notified Albus also, but the older wizard couldn't shed any light on the mysterious attack, either. He was still adamant that she stay clear of Fudge and the Ministry of Magic, however.

#

June flew by quickly, and Maddy thought a lot about the veil and its implications. She knew Sirius and Remus had been working on possible countermeasures, given the information they already had. She was still worried, though. In the heat of the moment, would Remus be able to save him? They had mapped out different scenarios for being there, but none of them made much sense. Frustrated, she abandoned looking at that episode in the pensieve and concentrated on attempting to see someone she had never tried before – herself. Once she had withdrawn from it, she sat for a long time, thinking. Maddy had _seen_ one thing she hadn't expected, and it made her wonder how Sirius managed to cope with the possible threat of death hanging over his head. She spent the rest of the week in a dark depression which even he couldn't penetrate, though she wouldn't tell him what was wrong. She knew one thing, though. Their legilimency-occlumency exercises were over.

What she couldn't know was exactly how soon the veil was going take them both.


	42. The Eighteenth of June

As the eighteenth of June approached, Sirius felt an increasing agitation about the date, to the point of snapping at everyone he came in contact with_. Is it to be this month? Is it even going to happen? _were questions he couldn't stop asking himself. And if it wasn't going to be in June, he wondered if he would react with such anxiety every month around the eighteenth.

_At least Harry will be here before long_. Sirius thought of the Dursleys, and Albus's edict that Harry spend some time with them before staying with his godparents. _Idiots._ Half the summer would be gone, and poor Harry would have been put through the wringer because of that great fool Dursley and his wife. He had a mind to pay them a visit, just to be sure that Harry wasn't being abused. He didn't care what Dumbledore thought of _that_.

His mind switched direction, to a fight he had picked with Maddy this morning, out of nowhere and over something stupid, and he felt guilty. Once in a while, he felt a twinge of resentment over what she had seen; apparently that was the source of his irritation. But of course he was being irrational. She didn't exactly like it, either, and only continued in the hopes of finding something out that would be beneficial for the Order. Nothing new had presented itself recently, however, and Sirius was privately glad of that. The thought that his deranged cousin Bellatrix might be the one to end his life was more than enough to take_._

_Just don't ever set foot in the Department of Mysteries_. The thought came unbidden as usual, teasing him. But Sirius knew he couldn't be such a coward. If he was deep in the bowels of the Ministry, it wouldn't be on a whim. It would be from some sort of confrontation, and his conscious mind countered with another thought_. I can beat this because I know beforehand. Moony and I have it worked out. And anyway, that stupid bitch can't best me._

And in spite of Maddy's dire prediction about the veil, Sirius had to admit that a he was itching for a fight. He missed the thrill of battle, and the brief encounter with the unknown wizard in mid-air had been nothing compared to what he had been used to during the first war. Thank God Maddy hadn't been injured worse, though. At least he knew if she had fallen off the bike, she would have been okay as long as she had her wand. Once wizards learned to fly, a variety of countermeasures were taught at school to prevent crash landings. That wizard, though? Sirius wondered why he would even attempt to attack two people at once. He shrugged to himself and filed that one away for the moment, thinking instead of the plan he and Moony had cooked up to combat the archway.

He had been meeting with Remus on a regular basis since Maddy's vision, working out solutions for that eventuality. And silly as it seemed to both of them, Remus religiously kept his watch on and wound it up without fail. An old muggle piece he had gotten secondhand a few years earlier, the watch still kept perfect time, and had a tiny date scroll that turned over each night. They had spent a lot of time thinking of reasons they might wind up in the Department of Mysteries. Well, one was obvious. Voldemort wanted the prophecy, and had for quite some time. Did this battle mean he was going to succeed in getting it? The vision had more questions than answers, unfortunately, and Maddy, still somewhat inexperienced, had never been able to draw out more information. It was hard enough on her watching what she already knew.

She had seen something else recently, though, Sirius could tell. But she was tight-lipped about it, and hadn't even preserved it. Her mood was different the last few days, as a result. And after this morning's argument, she had retreated upstairs and hadn't said another word to him all day. Resisting a childish urge to keep avoiding her, Sirius decided to try a different approach.

#

Maddy sat on the bed with two pillows plumped up behind her. She had been writing for quite a while, but hadn't made much headway. Finally she crumpled up the latest effort and threw it into the air, training her wand on it. The parchment burst into flame before disappearing. It should be a simple matter to write a will, she told herself irritably. Sirius was the only person who had any use for her things. She had no family, other than him. No daughter to hand her few pieces of jewelry down to someday, nor a son who might give her ring to his fiancée. She and Sirius were possibly facing the end of their lives. She sniffled when the vision of baby-faced Reg and the child within her large belly came to her mind. She got up and went over to the curtains. Looking out the bedroom window, Maddy could see the shady place where they had been sitting while their son played. An illogical, yet heartbreaking thought occurred to her, that she might die, and Sirius would survive, going on to marry another woman. Reg might be _their_ child after all, and not even hers.

_Oh Merlin, stop being so stupid_, she chided herself. _You've thought all along that these things were shown to you for a reason. And if you know in advance how you're going to … snuff it_ - she couldn't think the word _die- don't fucking take it lying down! Maybe you can beat this._

Her mood was bolstered by the silent pep-talk, and she turned from the window, distracted by a scratching noise at the door. At first she only stared in bewilderment. If it were Sirius, he would just knock or enter. But the scratchy noise didn't stop, so she limped over and opened the door. An enormous black dog sat there, his tail wagging.

"Come in, Padfoot," Maddy said in surprise. She opened it wider to admit him, and the dog loped in. "Aren't you going to change?"

Shaking his furry head back and forth, the dog jumped on the bed and curled into a comfortable position. Maddy climbed up next to him, throwing the quill she had been using on the bedside table. Padfoot's deep grey eyes watched her carefully, but he showed no signs of reverting to human form. Instead, he licked her cheek and tasted salt from recent tears.

"I'm not sure why you're doing this, but I don't much feel like talking anyway," she said. She laid her head against his furry belly, feeling the warmth as his chest rose and fell. Padfoot gave her his version of a kiss again and put his nose between paws.

They lay together in silence for a while. Then Maddy spoke drowsily. "I love you, Sirius. Whatever happens. I need to tell you that."

He raised his head to look at her, but she was so close to sleep that he thought it better to be still than lick her face again. Soon she drifted off, and Padfoot did the same not long afterward. He dreamt of Harry's voice, calling out to him again and again, but he couldn't reach him in time. Eventually it faded away, and he settled into a dreamless sleep.

He awoke to the sound of a distant voice. Pricking his ears to hear better, he made out, "Black!" and then unintelligible words. Padfoot looked down at his wife, who had moved off him and lay on her side of the bed now. He jumped off, quickly transforming back into a man, and opened the door softly. Maddy didn't stir. Once he had shut the door again, he bounded down the staircase and into the kitchen, where a head sat in the fireplace, looking agitated and disgruntled.

"Snape!"

The potions master, his face obscured somewhat by green flames licking around it, gave Sirius his characteristic sneer. He got right to the point.

"It's about time, Black. Your godson is in trouble. He believes that you are in the Hall of Prophecies, being held by the Dark Lord."

"What?!"

"He claims to have seen you in 'the place where it is hidden'."

Sirius took a step back, and the color drained from his face. He realized that this _was_ the night he was meant to die.

"_Merlin._ What's he going to do?"

"I would venture a guess that he might attempt his usual routine of rescuing those he -" Snape's lip curled unpleasantly, _"loves_. But I do not know at this time for sure. Umbridge was begging me for veritaserum in order to question him. I told her I had none."

"Can you not stop him from doing something foolish?" Sirius demanded. "Seeing as how you were right there with him! You could tell him I'm all right!"

"Oh, of course. Right in front of Umbridge?" Snape was scornful. "She was in the middle of interrogating him, you dolt. He had been using her fireplace, apparently in an attempt to find you."

He remembered Harry's voice calling to him, and went cold when he realized it hadn't been a dream after all. _Shit._

"She hasn't hurt him, has she?"

"I don't believe so," Snape said. "I left the room and came straight here. When I returned to her office, they were gone; I don't know where."

Sirius thought about this. "The Order will have to be notified."

"I've already contacted Dumbledore. You are to wait for word from him before doing anything."

"But –"

"Do _nothing_ until you have heard from him!"

The face abruptly withdrew from the enormous fireplace, and it was normal once again, with only the usual black streaks from previous fires that smudged the brick in the rear of it.

Sirius sat back on his heels. He couldn't disobey Dumbledore's order, but he was worried about his godson and hoped Harry hadn't gone too far in incurring Umbridge's wrath. If she would torture Maddy, she might do the same to him. But surely Albus knew all this, if Sirius did. He hoped Dumbledore would be contacting him very soon; otherwise, to hell with the older wizard's order. He would go to Hogwarts, prepared for a fight.

#

"Moony, get up here now."

A ghostly dog sat on its haunches in front of Sirius as he spoke. Upon a wave of dismissal with his wand, the dog loped off and vanished. Sirius sat down heavily at the kitchen table, wondering what would happen next. If Voldemort was to succeed in gaining the prophecy, he could only obtain it through Harry. That meant luring Harry down to the Ministry of Magic, of course. How on earth could either one gain entry, though? He had a bizarre mental picture of Voldemort hunched in the Ministry visitors' red phone booth, stating his name and business for being there. He almost laughed.

Where was Harry now, though? Then he remembered something. Harry had the two-way mirror. Sirius bounded up the stairs, thinking he had last stored it in his bedside table.

He opened the bedroom door again, hoping he wouldn't have to explain this to his wife. Perhaps Harry could be located soon and told that his godfather really wasn't at the Ministry. When he walked in, Maddy was coming out of the loo at the same time. She rubbed her eyes and stopped to regard his restored appearance.

"No more Padfoot?" she asked wryly.

Sirius shrugged, unsure of how much to explain. "No. I've been in the kitchen, scrounging up something to eat."

Maddy looked through him with shrewdness. "What's wrong?"

"Harry. He – "

"Is he okay?" She furled her brow, going into godmother mode immediately.

"He's had this vision, according to Snape. I guess that's what it was. He thinks Voldemort has me in the Hall of Prophecies."

Maddy understood the situation as quickly as Sirius had. "If you go, I'm going with you."

"Now look, he has no means of getting there. He can't apparate, and the Hogwarts Express wouldn't run this time of night …"

"I wouldn't count on him not getting there." Maddy knew what she had seen, in that final vision she had told nobody about. Harry had been there.

"I think I should go to Hogwarts," Sirius said. "I'll deal with Umbridge once and for all if I need to."

"Shouldn't Severus be looking for him?"

"Oh, absolutely. If he _will_. He says for us to wait for word from Dumbledore." His expression indicated what he thought of that idea. "But anyway, I remembered the mirror. Hopefully Harry has the other one with him."

He opened up a nightstand drawer, shifting through papers and minutiae, and finally pulled out an object that shone with flickering light reflected from his bedside lamp.

Dusting it off, he spoke. "Harry! Answer me, please. It's Sirius."

The other end was black, though. Sirius tried a few more times, but nothing happened. He sighed and slid the mirror into an inner waistcoat pocket.

"I'll try again later, I guess."

Maddy watched him. "What happens now?"

"We wait on Albus."

**

But hours passed, with only a ghostly phoenix appearing once, reminding them in Dumbledore's voice to remain at the house until further instructions. Remus and Tonks arrived soon after Sirius's request, and the two couples sat in the drawing room, reviewing the layout of the Department of Mysteries with Tonks's help.

Maddy was mostly silent as the others discussed their plans. There was one thing she had to try, if she wound up in that place. She hadn't told Sirius, knowing he would sooner lock her up than let her accompany them if he knew. Bellatrix would have to be killed, and quickly. Maddy would have to catch her off-guard, which would be extremely difficult. If not, she was convinced that she and Sirius would die. The others continued their discussion, having no idea what she was thinking.

Sirius eventually rose. He paced the floor repeatedly and kept trying to reach Harry using the two-way mirror. Even a patronus, conjured hastily and sent to his godson, produced no response. Finally he looked at the others.

"I have to go to Hogwarts."

"Albus told you to stay put. You've got to listen to him," Remus said. His voice was calm, though he felt every bit as keyed up as his friend.

"Well, what the hell is he doing? We need some sort of word from him! What if Umbridge did something with Harry?"

"I don't think he would let that happen."

At that moment, they heard the heavy thud of the doorknocker. Maddy quickly rose and answered it, followed by Sirius.

"Albus!"

"Good evening, Madeleine, or _morning_, rather." The headmaster didn't smile.

"What news do you have?" Sirius asked.

"I have just received word from a reliable source that Harry and his friends have arrived at the Ministry in the last hour."

"Who's the source?" Sirius broke in.

"Molly Weasley," Albus replied, turning to him.

Tonks and Lupin were now standing in the doorway to the drawing room, listening.

"Molly?! How on earth-?" Sirius asked, frowning.

"A brilliant stroke of luck, as it turned out. She has an instrument, similar to a clock, which displays the whereabouts of her family members at all times. She has developed the habit of checking after Fred and George, ever since their exit from Hogwarts. Upon doing so, she noticed this evening that Ron and Ginny's location was not school, as to be expected, but instead hovering between _work_ and _in mortal peril_. She and Arthur contacted me immediately. They realized the significance of the eighteenth." Dumbledore nodded toward Maddy, who looked down.

"Floo to the Ministry, then," Sirius said immediately.

"Yes. Kingsley and Moody are on their way, as well. I will meet you there."

**

Minutes later, Sirius, Maddy, Tonks and Lupin were standing in the cavernous Atrium within the Ministry of Magic. Maddy looked around. She had been here before, years earlier when she had been a curse breaker at Gringotts. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. She clutched her wand tightly and let Tonks lead the way. Sirius put a light hand on her back and held his wand with his other one.

"Let's go this way," Tonks said in a low voice. She pointed to a doorway in the back, past the elevators.

They all followed her, looking around. No one was in security, surprisingly. The four didn't waste any time at the welcome desk, but walked with brisk steps past the Fountain of Magical Brethren toward the place Tonks had indicated.

Beyond the opening was an enormous labyrinth of stairways. Five of them, all glistening black marble, spidered out from the landing where they stood. Tonks seemed to know which way to go, leading them down a staircase that seemed to stretch and turn forever. Sirius cast a silencing spell around them, and their footfalls were soundless as they hurried down into the bowels of the Ministry.

Nearing the bottom, Tonks slowed down and looked in all directions.

"Now we're near to the Rotating room. We'll be bloody lucky to get where we're going on the first try out of that. Even the people who work down here get annoyed with it and use spells to mark the doors they've been through."

The other three followed her down a narrow hallway, and they approached the last step. Moody and Kingsley came into view. Both were standing guard at a door and saw them immediately.

" 'Bout time," Moody grumbled. "Let's go. We'll divide up in there." He indicated the closed door in front of them. It was solid and, like everything else so far, black as onyx. There was no knob, just a smooth, shiny slab, illuminated blue by flickering candlelight on the wall. Everyone held their wands in a defensive posture as Kingsley pushed it open.

The room was empty. A large, circular chamber, it was bare with a dozen doors that had no knobs. A bluish haze, from the same sort of eerie flames as outside, was cast around the black walls, ceiling and floor. Maddy looked at Sirius. He was cast in blue, also, and his jaw was clenched, whether with anxiety or determination she didn't know. He saw her watching him, and winked slightly.

The door swung shut behind them, and Tonks quickly marked it with a glowing symbol to show it was the exit. Faded remnants of 'X's on some of the other doors made her pause.

"Someone's been here," Remus stated the obvious softly.

Then the room seemed to move. Maddy grabbed Sirius's arm, unsettled. Light from the sconces on the walls was a streak of blue as the doors whirred around. Then they finally stopped, and she loosened her grip.

"Stay with me," Sirius whispered in her ear. She nodded.

Remus pushed on the door. It opened with no hesitation. They walked in slowly, wands raised. Immediately everyone blinked at the brightness. Glittery timepieces occupied every space in the room, and tick-tock noises filled their ears. No one seemed to be about, however, and parts of it appeared to be wrecked. Some huge clocks had fallen over, smashed to bits with their mechanical guts spilling out into the floor.

"Oh dear," Maddy whispered. She had just seen something odd.

"What?" Remus asked.

She pointed, and at that moment, a figure wobbled into view. The sound of a baby's wail made everyone turn sharply in the direction she was looking.

A man was stumbling around in confusion. But his head was what they couldn't stop staring at. A bald, fuzzy baby head rested on the shoulders of a fully-grown man, and he bawled in distress as they watched.

"Jesus," Tonks said, awestruck, and then she came back to herself. "Right. St. Mungo's can sort that bloke out later. The Hall of Prophecies is on the other end down there."

They edged past the baby-man, who had fat tears of rage and confusion streaming down his cheeks. He continued to stumble around, grabbing at nothing. Stepping around the ruined clocks, they slid past him and quickly made their way to a black door at the end.

Another disaster awaited there. Dust and rubble from smashed prophecies and fallen shelves filled the room.

"Damn, he's not here either," Sirius said, looking around with raised wand. He and Maddy looked at each other.

"Where's the Death Chamber from here?" she asked Tonks in a flat voice. "That's where he is."

**

No one was about in the inky black corridor outside the Death Room. Order members positioned themselves outside two of the doors leading in, waiting for a quick word from Moody before surging inside. He gave it, and they burst open the doors.

In an instant, the chamber was filled with bursts of light as wand battles broke out. Tonks met Malfoy head-on with a Stunning spell before he could react. A Death Eater went after one of the students, and Sirius leapt down to the dais to meet him. Their wand hands were a blur as they shot and deflected curses back and forth. Maddy looked around for Bellatrix to see her lurching back and forth, now in battle with Tonks and dodging spells. Maddy trained her wand on the witch with one goal in mind. To kill her. She summoned up every ounce of strength and determination she possessed.

"_Avada Ked_ – "

Her words were interrupted by a curse connecting with her body that knocked her through the air, down to the stone dais.

"I don't fucking think so," snarled a voice from above her face. She moaned, half-conscious from the hit, and looked into the eyes of Lucius Malfoy. With a malevolent grin, he lifted his wand. Just then, a jet of blue light hurtled toward him, knocking him far across the room. Sirius looked at him with satisfaction before being distracted by another Death Eater. Through it all, Maddy saw Malfoy struggling to stand. Bellatrix was a clear shot once more. Harry and Neville were now fighting Malfoy and losing, just as Remus intervened, shooting Malfoy with another curse. He fell backwards, off the platform.

Maddy lifted her arm, but it seemed to be injured, and she was forced to use her left hand to grip her wand. _One more chance_.

But now Bellatrix was engaged in dueling Sirius, and she was no longer an easy target. He whirled around with the grace of a natural fighter, parrying her spells and sending his own as she did the same. Maddy could see it in his eyes; he meant to kill his cousin, after he had a little fun with her.

A Death Eater rose in front of Maddy just then, and she managed to shoot a conjunctivitis curse at him before his own curse could hit her head-on. He hit her injured leg instead, and it buckled under her. Then he screamed and clawed at his mask, feeling the effects of her spell. She followed it with another. It was a body-bind curse this time, and the man fell to the floor, an immobile statue. She looked to Sirius again, who was in his element, still fighting his cousin. Curiously, everyone else was silent now. Maddy saw Harry look toward the top of the chamber, and her gaze followed his. Dumbledore stood there, wand raised. His face was alive with fury.

Maddy stumbled across the dais, trying to reach Sirius, but he and Bellatrix were in their own world, snarling insults at each other as they dueled. The raven-haired witch shot a spell at Sirius, narrowly missing him. He laughed. She saw Remus check his watch and steal across the dais, out of the corner of her eye.

"C'mon, you can do better than that!" Sirius taunted.

"Why, yes I can, my dear cousin," Bellatrix responded, and pointed her wand.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

_#_

Maddy heard the words spoken out loud for the first time. They triggered a flash of a memory … of her brother and cousins whispering, spelling out the letters of the darkest of all curses. They had been relegated to the children's table during holiday dinners and passed the forbidden combination of letters, mouths to ears, around the table. _A-v-a-d-a K-e-d-a-v-r-a_. Little Maddy, who didn't get the joke, had put them together and said them out loud, slowly. She hadn't known how to read for very long. _Avada Kedav-ra?_ Everyone made faces, pretending horror at her mistake. _You never_ say _it, dummy_, her brother had said. _Unless you want to kill somebody_, added a cousin, grinning evilly at her. They had all laughed as she colored with embarrassment.

Now, as a thirty-year old witch, she realized she had just heard the words being spoken again, in a woman's voice. Disconcerted, and at first certain they had been directed at _her,_ Maddy pointed her wand wildly in that direction to see Bellatrix Lestrange, whose own wand was still at the ready. The woman's lips were widening into a Cheshire cat grin that was a little too familiar.

Maddy swiveled around to see Sirius looking at her, his eyes wide, pleading silently for something. He staggered a little, too close to the archway, and she moved reflexively toward him.

"Sirius, get away from there!" she shouted as he stepped forward. No words seemed to come out, though. Sirius tripped on a lump of stone someone had blasted off the stone arch. He lurched backwards, dangerously close to the tattered black threads that blew back and forth, as if they were fingers curling and uncurling repeatedly, enticing him to come to them.

She leapt toward him, hoping to grab onto something that might pull him away – his arm, or even a piece of his coat. Something was wrong, however. She couldn't get to him. He watched her, his face contorted into an expression of deep surprise and horror, and whispered something.

"_Madeleine."_

Remus, who had heard Bellatrix's words but hadn't been in a position to keep her from firing the curse, ran in their direction at the same time. He thrust out his wand, yelling out a warning too late. Harry watched the whole thing as if it were happening in slow motion, and Maddy vaguely noticed him looking at her, utterly confused.

In the space of a millisecond, her body went numb, but her mind moved at light speed, with so many random thoughts crowding her brain at the same time, it was impossible to count them all. One occurred to her that there had to be a counter curse to Avada Kedavra, something that would undo its effects. Others followed.

Lying over Sirius next to the lake, protecting him as dementors attacked her.

Albus telling her that her parents were dead.

Her mother's letter, left in France for years before Maddy's wedding to him.

Sirius opening the door of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place the previous summer, and his spark of shock and recognition at seeing her standing there with Remus.

Albus warning her about Umbridge.

Laughing with teenage friends.

Her grandmother's kiss_. _

_Is tu mo ghra_.

Her wedding night, hearing the ocean through open doors as her husband made love to her. So many stars were out that night, they lay in bed later, looking out over the ocean and black sky, trying to make out constellations. She remembered the warmth of his chest against her back, the slick sweat that was still present from their exertions, the kisses against her neck as he brushed her hair out of the way. His finger pointing to his own star, Sirius, which meant burning, searing. Scorching. _A good way to describe certain things about you,_ Maddy had whispered.

And in the midst of these, something occurred to her_. I'm going to lose him._ Her spirit seemed to want to break loose from her body.

#

Sirius's eyes widened as he watched the events unfold. He also realized several things in that space of a second. He hadn't been hit by the killing curse. _Madeleine _had. A jet of green light had hit her, fired from Bellatrix's wand. Then she tripped in her haste to reach him and he watched, horrified, as the life slowly went out of her. He grasped for her now, desperate to erase the curse, and thought of a million things about his own life. Things that had happened. Things that were supposed to happen.

A cold stone cell in Azkaban.

A large black dog watching Harry play Quidditch in a raging storm.

Lying next to Maddy in darkness, touching her belly … wondering silently to himself if she might be pregnant, and knowing that he would like to make her so.

His hurt and hostility at her invasion of his dreams. Then the sweetness of making up with her.

His finger caressing hers from behind iron bars, making him feel alive for the first time in twelve years.

Sirius with his arm around a little boy, reading to him.

In a cemetery, pouring his heart out to a tombstone.

Laughing with Prongs.

His son, watching him in class as he taught; everyone thought Reg's father was the coolest professor at Hogwarts.

Godfather and godson sitting together under a tree in summer, laughing, as he retold some ancient tale about James Potter to Harry. Harry was no longer a child, but a man.

Holding a newborn girl for the first time; one with dark hair, emitting a tiny baby yawn. His wife's smile.

#

Sirius had righted himself after turning his ankle on the stone, and managed to take hold of Maddy as she slumped, but her weight against him knocked him off balance. Remus lurched after them as they fell backward, and Harry's face was the last one Sirius saw before the veil took them both.


	43. Into the Mist

Summer, 2012

"_Oi_, Sea Horse! Come with me! They've gone into Hogsmeade."

"If you can't say my name right, I'm not even responding," the girl said airily. She didn't look up from her book, but continued to sit on an overstuffed chair in the study.

"Fine, _Seersha_. And you just did. Get your arse out of that chair. I've figured out how to open the pensieve."

Saoirse's ears pricked up immediately. "What did you do, Reg?" she asked with considerable suspicion.

"Nothing!" he insisted. "I just heard Dad whisper the spell to open it the other day. He didn't know I saw him. We have to hurry, though."

Regulus assumed that his parents would be gone for a long time, but he wanted his little sister to move quickly. She tended to amble wherever she went, and he wished his wand were useful at the moment to give her a nice magical prod in the posterior. He didn't really want to try this alone.

Saoirse rose extra-slowly, purely to get a rise out of her brother. She fumbled with a bookmark long enough for Reg to snatch the book out of her hand and throw it on the table.

"Oh, c'mon! You know you want to see it."

He raced up the stairs and straight to a large corner room which held various objects of magical and muggle paraphernalia. In the corner of the cluttered room, next to a telescope, sat a large cabinet. The latch was shut on it.

"It's locked, dummy, like always."

Reg turned around, shoving a lock of hair out of his eye, and gave her a look of extreme confidence very much like his father's. She rolled her eyes. Reg was a big hit at Hogwarts because of that resemblance, and he milked it for all it was worth with impressionable young females who nursed a crush on Professor Black. Professor Black was known around here as Dad, Uncle Sirius, as well as the occasional Siri, Padfoot_,_ and _mo chuisle. _Their mother tended to use the last two or three, while Harry and Ginny's children referred to him as 'uncle', at his own request. Saoirse was forced to deal with endless questions about both of the Black men from other girls. Of course, her mother was a Professor Black, also, but boys didn't ask her about her mum. Maybe they pestered Regulus with questions instead.

"Well, guess what? Dad forgot to take his wand today." Reg brandished the object triumphantly and raised an eyebrow at Saoirse. "Let's get to it, then, eh?"

He pointed it at the cabinet and, without hesitation, repeated the spell he had heard his father say a few days before. The latch obliged, giving way, and he eagerly swung the doors open to reveal a large stone basin. A shelf overhead held an extensive collection of glass vials, all neatly labeled with their contents and dated.

"Which one first?" Reg said, practically drooling as he looked them over. "I want to see something interesting. Nothing lovey-dovey, though! I'll barf if they've recorded doing _you-know-what_." He shuddered, and Saoirse nodded in sympathy.

"Bollocks. I'm not convinced they've actually _done it_ since I was born." She snickered.

Reg continued to look at the treasure trove of memories before them. "Yeah, well, Seamus said he caught his parents once. He never _quite_ recovered – ooh, wait a minute." Whatever terrifying words Seamus may have said about parental _doing it_ were not revealed; Regulus had found a vial he thought interesting. He carefully lifted it from its holder and looked at the swirling contents. Saoirse inspected it from the other side and snickered at Reg's huge eye, magnified by the glass. The label said_ Summer 1975_.

"What d'you think this is?" he asked. "That was years ago!"

Saoirse shrugged. "You first. Do you know how to do it?"

He nodded, but hesitated for a second, then pulled the stopper out. Pouring it into the basin, Reg stared at it.

"Go on, then!" his sister encouraged him.

He inclined his head very slowly until it was right over the swirling mass. Saoirse sighed with disgust and dunked his head in.

Reg's arms flailed as he fell into the vision, and he screeched with fright before landing soundlessly right next to his mother. She was younger, and heavily pregnant. He slowly recovered his bearings and looked around. The voice of his father, broken up, came from very close and he jumped up, realizing he was practically sitting in the man's lap. Regulus jumped up and looked down on his parents. The memory seemed to be an old one. Whenever they spoke, breaks in their speech and unnatural pauses indicated that it was a faulty memory. He watched, though, fascinated to see himself as a little boy, tumbling around on the grounds of their house, playing with a puppy who had died a few years earlier.

Finally, he emerged, having heard nothing that made much sense.

"You gonna try?" he asked Saoirse.

"What was it?"

"Mum and Dad. She was about to burst, looked like."

"Huh?"

"She was pregnant with you, and I was a little kid. It was really old, though. Couldn't understand much. Look at it if you want, but I'd as soon move on."

She looked out the window. Her parents were nowhere to be found. "Nah, I want to see it."

She cautiously submerged her head into the basin and came out a few minutes later. "Well, that was interesting. Garbled, but Dad was pretty hot, wasn't he? Mum looked like a balloon, though!" She snorted.

"Right. Next." Reg examined the little shelf for something that looked a little more interesting. "This one."

He chose a vial labeled _Trial August '96 - Unedited_ and looked at it. Saoirse grabbed it out of his hand.

"Let me see," she demanded. "_Whose_ bloody trial?"

"Don't know. But here's one next to it, that says it's edited."

"Nah. Put this one in." Saoirse was morbidly curious about the _unedited_ bit. She uncorked the vial and poured it in next to the other still swirling in the pensieve.

"Let's go together. Surely there's enough room." She felt braver than when they had started.

He nodded, and on the count of three, both heads submerged at once.

#

They felt the now-familiar sensation of their bodies dropping through the sky until they landed soundlessly, if a little unsteadily, on a bench in a large auditorium. Saoirse reeled a little – still out of sorts – until she saw something shocking. She nudged Regulus next to her. He was still looking around the room. Wizards and witches in alternating Ministry colors were chatting amiably, as if waiting for something to begin.

"Look – it's Dad!"

Reg followed her gaze. Sirius Black was seated in the center of the room, surrounded by the large gathering of witches and wizards. His expression was calm and unaffected.

"Hey! Isn't that Minister Shacklebolt?" Reg nudged Saoirse, pointing to a dark-skinned man in purple robes.

"Huh. Yeah, that's him. Looks younger, though."

"Well, of course he does. This is from 1996! Hey, there's Mum."

They walked over to see their mother sitting on the front row next to a much older wizard with flowing white hair and long beard. His hand was bandaged, they noticed. She wore full dress robes, very similar to ones she and their father used at school. Saoirse had the odd thought of her mum complaining once about how bulky and uncomfortable they were, and almost laughed. The thought occurred to her to study her mother more closely. She knelt down in front of her, just as her mother spoke to the white-haired wizard next to her.

"What happened to your hand, Albus?" she asked quietly.

The man smiled down at her. "It was an unfortunate mishap by an old man, Madeleine. Not worth retelling."

Just then, the din in the auditorium subsided, and a fierce-looking wizard at a podium began to speak.

"Thank you all for your prompt return from recess. Let us continue. Mr. Black, your testimony, please?"

Sirius straightened up. "Yes. My wife and I were attacked on the sixth of June whilst flying over Hogsmeade. A lone wizard on a broom approached us and began firing spells. One of them injured Madeleine's leg. We were able to subdue the man with non-violent spells, but his broom spiraled out of control and landed in the Black Lake."

"Yes, we recovered the body on the shore," the spokeswizard said, "what was _left_ of him, anyway. Looked like the giant squid had got hold of him." He grimaced, and Saoirse noticed their father hide a smile, though no one else noticed. "Please continue," the man said.

"Right. After the incident in the Department of Mysteries in June, I had the opportunity to speak with my godson. He informed me that Madame Umbridge –" Sirius inclined his head toward a squat woman, who sat, heavily guarded, on a bench, "had confessed, when they were in the forest on that day, to paying a hit wizard to kill me."

Reg gasped and shot a look at his sister, who was equally thrown off by their father's words. He had never mentioned _this_ incident.

"THAT IS NOT TRUE!" screeched the woman, but her face made it clear she wished about now that the wizard had finished the job. She began to shake.

"Madame Umbridge, you will control yourself! Mr. Black, continue."

"That is not all. She abused my godson throughout the entire school year. She forced him to write with a quill that scarred his hand for life. On the seventeenth of June, the day before the battle in the Ministry, she threatened him with the cruciatus curse. Fortunately one of his friends intervened, or I am sure she would have used it. She had actually performed it on Madeleine in late March, when my wife was teaching at Hogwarts. This was before we were married," he added for clarification.

"Yes, we will hear from your wife shortly. Now, then – "

"WHERE IS CORNELIUS? HE will tell you all about her underhanded scheme –"

The wizard sighed. "Madame Umbridge, that is _quite_ enough. Cornelius Fudge is no longer in charge here. I am, and I assure you, justice will be served."

"You?! You're not fit -"

"Enough. Auror Shacklebolt, subdue her until it is time for her testimony."

Reg and Saoirse swiveled their heads in Kingsley's direction. He pointed his wand at her. Umbridge opened her mouth, but no noise came out now. This agitated her even more, and her eyes were practically bulging out of her head at this indignity. The minister turned his attentions back to Sirius.

"Anything else, Mr. Black?"

"I don't believe so, Minister."

"Step down, then."

"Mrs. Madeleine Black. Step up, please."

Regulus and Saoirse watched their mother and father pass each other. He sat down where she had been, moments earlier, next to the older wizard. Maddy settled herself into the huge chair and waited.

"Mrs. Black, please state what happened on the morning of the twenty-seventh of March of this year."

"I awoke to learn from Mr. Filch, the caretaker, that Albus Dumbledore had been deposed as headmaster. Dolores Umbridge had replaced him. I was told to meet with her. Mr. Filch accompanied me to her new office, where she began to interrogate me in front of Harry. She suffered from a delusion that a group of students, all underage wizards, wanted to overthrow the government."

There were a few titters from the audience, but Maddy ignored them and continued.

"She allowed a Death Eater on the grounds of the school, posing as an Auror. I later discovered it was Bellatrix Lestrange. Anyway, they took my wand away, and Umbridge used the cruciatus on me in front of Harry as Bellatrix watched."

The Minister glanced down at Umbridge, who was protesting furiously, if silently, at Maddy's words.

"Then Bellatrix led me away, to my family's ruins in Oxfordshire, where I was held without food and water. They tortured me. Lucius Malfoy was there. He and Bellatrix murdered my brother and his wife. Then Malfoy took me away to his own home in Wiltshire, where he bragged that he planned to … use me for his own purposes, under his wife's nose."

Saoirse watched her mother's monologue with a mouth wide open in astonishment. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear any more of this.

"But fortunately, Sirius found me and took me back home with him. I learned that Umbridge wanted us both questioned. But Sirius had asked me to marry him, and took me to France. We had the ceremony there in April."

Umbridge's face was purple from spewing silent insults in Maddy's direction during her testimony. The security wizard sighed and rolled his eyes, growing tired of holding her back.

"Anything else, Mrs. Black?"

"Nothing of import, I don't suppose. Though she did seem to have an unnatural obsession with Sirius's movements. She said at one time, back in the winter, that the Ministry was keeping tabs on him. I certainly hope that isn't true now." She turned a gimlet eye on the current Minister, who shook his head.

"Madame, I assure you that will not happen again. Your husband has been through more than enough under the previous administration. And with what happened in June here … No, certainly not! Now, if I could only speak to Harry Potter a bit more –"

Sirius broke in. "No. My godson has enough to deal with at the moment. You have more than adequate information from him already, and I'm afraid I will have to decline another interview, on his behalf. Now, are we done here?" He nodded in Maddy's direction.

The minister scowled slightly, but nodded. "Yes, you are both free to go, unless you want to observe as Madame Umbridge is administered veritaserum."

"Thank you, no. We'll be going now."

He stood up abruptly and waited for Maddy to come to him. With a quick wave goodbye in the elderly wizard's direction, they ignored everyone else and went to the door, where a security guard stood. The sound of voices faded out as the door opened. Sirius walked quickly down the hallway, holding Maddy's hand. Finally they arrived at a bank of elevators. He pushed the button, looking impatient. Reg noticed his mother wore an odd expression; she seemed almost amused. Then the door opened.

"What floor, please?" asked a bored, pimply-faced attendant, probably all of eighteen.

"Out."

"Excuse me, sir?"

Sirius pointed. "Out. You. Get out."

"But –"

"Out, I said!"

The attendant was at a loss, but he didn't want to argue with a much older wizard who looked all too happy to show his wand to prove a point. He stepped out, protesting feebly, and the door shut behind him.

The lift began to move. Sirius pulled out his wand, after all, and handed it to Maddy. He whispered a spell, and she repeated it, making the elevator lurch to a halt.

"Now, as for you …" he said, turning to his wife. He pushed her roughly against the elevator wall and shoved her robes out of the way. Shoving her dress up, he cupped her bottom in his hands and kissed her thoroughly. Then his head slowly moved down her body, stopping at a breast barely covered by her lacy bra. Saoirse watched in horrified fascination, having heard some of the things he was whispering in racy novels she passed around with her friends, but certainly not from _him_. And seeing him all excited like that … By the time her mother's knickers were removed, she looked at Regulus in desperation. He had much the same expression on his face.

"Merlin's left _nut_," he whispered, totally nonplussed. "Let's get out of here!"

They emerged from the pensieve and stood silently for several seconds. Then Saoirse looked at Regulus, and they both burst out laughing. They laughed uncontrollably until tears streamed down their cheeks and their sides hurt.

"Well, now I know what the "unedited" thing meant!" Regulus said, wiping his eyes. "Bloody hell, that was disgusting. Mum and Dad, _urgh_ – well, I'll have to tell Seamus about this!"

"Tell him what, exactly?" came a voice from the doorway. They whirled around to face their father, standing there with raised eyebrow.

"Dad!" Regulus exclaimed, much too quickly.

"How did you get in there?" Sirius asked. Then he saw his wand, lying idle on a desk close by. "Never mind," he added wryly.

"We were just, um, curious …"

"What did you watch?" his father asked. He walked over to the pensieve and looked in.

"Oh, just one where Mum was pregnant, and one where some lady was on trial." He thought of something, but Saoirse beat him to it.

"Who was that woman, Dad?"

Sirius picked up the vial they had poured in. "Bloody hell, you didn't watch … this, did you? Please tell me you didn't!"

"Oh! Well, not all of it," Regulus said quickly.

Sirius looked at Saoirse, who flushed crimson and took sudden interest in a book on arithmancy.

"Now, listen you two, these are private! You can't just open this up without permission!"

Regulus tried once more to change the subject. "So who was the woman?"

"Who, Umbridge? She was briefly headmistress at Hogwarts. Made Harry's life hell_, and_ your mother's. That was the year we met."

"Well, you got on very well, we noticed," Reg couldn't help saying. Saoirse elbowed him.

"That will be all. Saoirse, go help your mum with dinner."

Sirius's daughter was all too happy to leave the room. They could hear the pounding of her footsteps as she went downstairs to join Maddy. He looked at his son.

"Well, what have you to say for yourself?"

Regulus thought a minute. "Well, you never let us look in here, and we were wondering what all that stuff was." Regulus wasn't about to let Saoirse off the hook, even though it had been his idea. "Sorry, Dad."

Sirius watched his son for a minute. Then he spoke. "It's just as well, I suppose. I think there are things in here you should see, just so you know a bit of the family history. Saoirse is perhaps too young, yet." He walked over to the door and closed it, then returned to Regulus.

"She just turned twelve in May!"

"No, I think she should wait a bit longer. You, though. Well, when I was your age, I was about to leave home for good. You're close to being an adult, and I think you can watch a few things in there."

Reg shifted uneasily. "What things?"

His father understood, and blushed rather uncharacteristically. "Not _those_ things! I'm talking about when Voldemort regained power. The day your mother and I died."

"What?!"

Sirius grinned at his son's expression. He went to the bank of vials and picked out one in the back row. It was labeled _18 June 1996_-_Part 1_.

"It's not me being conceived, is it?" Regulus counted from his birthday backward, and grimaced.

"Absolutely not. You had already been conceived by that time," Sirius said with a mischievous grin, then he sobered. "Do you want to see this? If you do, there's something else I want you to watch. A companion piece, if you like."

His grey eyes met his son's, which were brimming with frank curiosity.

"Like I'm going to say no!"

"Good! I'll explain when you're done." Sirius patted Reg's back and removed the glass stopper on the little vial. Regulus watched as the smooth little stream of memory was poured into the basin. Sirius prodded the contents, making sure that memory was at the top, and then he looked at Regulus.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Go to it, then."

Regulus submerged his head in the mist of the pensieve.

#

A few minutes later, he withdrew, visibly shaken.

"What the _fuck_ just happened?" he asked, forgetting who he was talking to. "Who was that wild-eyed loony woman? She used that unforgivable curse you told us about in class! On Mum!"

"That was my cousin Bellatrix," Sirius said. "And mind your tongue, if you please, or I'll be in _trouble_ with your mum." He lifted an eyebrow.

"We're related to _… that_?"

"Well_, that_ has been gone for quite some time now. But yes."

"When did she die? Was it in the Battle of Hogwarts? We started on that toward the end of school."

"Yes."

"So Mum survived the curse? How'd she do that?"

Sirius smiled. "A little ingenuity, even if it was accidental. You saw us disappear through a curtain in the archway."

His son nodded. "Yeah, that was the end. What happened then?"

"I think you should see firsthand. Ironically, the archway saved your mother's life. She and Harry are the only two people I've ever heard of to survive it. And it's certainly an interesting story."

"Well, show me, then!"

Maddy's voice called up to them, and Saoirse bounded up the stairs at the same time. "Dinner's ready!" her voice came breathlessly from the hallway. "Hey! Why's the door closed?"

Sirius looked at Regulus. "Just between us for now, okay? Let's eat dinner, and then I'll show you the rest. Coming, love," he said in a louder voice for his daughter to hear.

He opened the door to see his daughter eyeing the two of them suspiciously.

"What were you doing?"

"Nothing," Sirius said. "I'm starving! Let's eat."

#

Regulus said nothing during dinner. His mind was clearly elsewhere, to the point where Maddy felt his forehead and asked what was wrong. Saoirse snickered, assuming that Regulus had been privy to a talk about the contents of that unedited memory. He paid no attention to her, though.

"What ever happened to that Umbridge woman, anyway?"

"Umbridge?" Maddy asked. "How did she come up?"

Sirius leaned back. "Our children got into the pensieve. They saw Umbridge's trial." He gave her a significant look to suggest that wasn't all their kids had seen.

Maddy stared back at him and tried to keep her face expressionless. Sirius watched her, then turned his attention to his food, hiding a smile.

"Well, Reg, did anyone ever stress to you the importance of staying out of locked cabinets?"

He shrugged. "I just wondered what happened after ... all that."

"Umbridge ... well, I believe she's still in the Janus Thickey ward at St. Mungo's." Maddy added a dismissive noise to show what she thought of_ that_. "Should be in Azkaban, but she managed to get off claiming she'd been permanently damaged by her, er, stint at Hogwarts."

"What about ...?" Reg broke off his next comment, remembering he had promised not to mention it.

"What?" his mother asked.

"Nothing."

They ate in relative silence for several minutes, and then Saoirse changed the subject.

"So is Professor McGonagall returning this fall?" The old witch had debated for years whether or not to retire, but she always came back.

"Yes, I believe so. You didn't hear any different, did you, Siri?" Maddy looked at her husband.

Sirius shook his head. "No. She came with the place. I don't imagine she'll leave any time soon. Regulus, are you finished?"

Reg pushed his plate away with too much eagerness, and Maddy looked at him. "What's your hurry?"

"Oh, I've just got something to do with Dad. A project."

"Ah." She didn't say anything else.

Sirius stood and brushed Maddy's shoulder with a hand, before letting his son lead the way out of the kitchen.


	44. The Other Side

Sirius closed the door firmly behind him. He felt guilty for leaving Saoirse out of this, but perhaps it was Maddy's job to tell her that particular story. He loved them both more than anything, but he felt so … connected with Regulus, who looked like a direct cross of himself and his brother, and had a similar personality to both of them. Sirius thought of the other Regulus, long since dead, as he did every so often. He knew that it was the right time to show these things to his namesake.

Regulus, the son, was oblivious to his father's thoughts as he waited patiently by the pensieve.

"Did you really die?"

Sirius looked for another other vial with the same date, the eighteenth of June. Finding it, he lifted it out of its place, taking great care with it.

"Yes, I suppose so. Watch it first, though, okay? I'll be there with you."

He waited. Regulus put both hands firmly on the stone edges, steeling himself for the strange sensation of falling into the memory. Then he dunked his head in, and Sirius did the same.

***

In contrast to the memory Reg had seen earlier, with its inky black backdrop and flashes of light reflecting off shiny tiles, this place was so sunny he had to squint until he got used to it. He was standing on a dirt path in the midst of a field. Green rolling hills were behind him, and deep woods ahead. There were no signs of human life anywhere.

Just as he began to wonder where his father was, Sirius came up and put a reassuring arm on his shoulder.

"You all right?"

"Yeah. So where are we?"

"Scotland, I suppose. Probably close to Hogwarts."

Reg looked around. "I've never seen weather like _this_ in Scotland!" He laughed.

"Just watch," his father encouraged him.

Maddy and Sirius came into view then. They both appeared confused, and Reg could hear snippets of conversation as they drew closer.

"…portkey of some kind. That Grant woman was wrong. D'you feel okay, Mad?"

Maddy nodded. "I feel fine. She shot me with the killing curse, though, didn't she? Why didn't it kill me?" She looked down at herself, as if searching for clues to her good health.

Sirius put an arm around her. "I don't know. Thank God you're okay, though. We'd better walk for a bit. Perhaps we'll come across someone before long."

They walked together, holding hands as they observed their surroundings. Regulus and Sirius fell into step behind them.

"It seems familiar," Maddy said. They were entering a more wooded area, and the sunlight was becoming obscured by tall trees overhead. Patches of light broke through the leafy barrier here and there. She inhaled deeply, taking in the loamy feel of the place. "Feels like the beginning of time, doesn't it?"

"It does." Her husband smiled at her. They continued to walk.

"Should we have gone the other way?" she asked after a time, though she didn't seem worried.

"No, I think this will be fine. Let's keep going."

Regulus, watching this, was growing impatient. "What's going to happen?" he whispered, forgetting that his parents couldn't hear him.

"It'll pick up soon," Sirius said.

Birds twittered in the treetops. Squirrels pounced on dead leaves, chasing each other around the forest floor. Regulus noticed one thing in particular. The peacefulness. Maddy and Sirius seemed to feel the same way. They appeared calm and unaffected as they walked, almost as if they knew what would happen next.

Soon enough, something did happen. Reg kept peeking around his parents in front of him, and in the distance he spied something he hadn't seen yet - water.

"What's that? Isn't that the Black Lake?" he asked.

"Yeah." Sirius smiled. His own mood seemed to be elevated around here, and Regulus wondered if his father delved into this memory often. He hoped _something_ would happen soon, though. Despite the novelty of seeing his parents fifteen years younger, it was getting a little boring.

The sunlight made bright shifting jewels of light on the water, and as they walked, the path curved around, appearing to follow the shoreline. But Reg's parents stepped off it, headed to the waters' edge. It was then that Reg saw the others. Sirius and Maddy stopped so abruptly that he went right through them. He swiveled around, sputtering, and his father laughed.

Two people, a man and woman, were at the lake's edge, staring over the water. Far in the distance, in the sunlight, a tentacle splashed out of the water. The giant squid was in a playful mood, apparently. They all watched as a few more tentacles joined the first one, whirling around over the lake's surface in an odd squid-ish ballet. Funnily enough, the man on the shore echoed Regulus's thoughts.

"Bloody _Swan Lake_ today, isn't it?"

The woman laughed. Reg looked at his memory-father, whose face wore an expression of such extreme happiness he looked as though he might explode with it. Maddy was looking at Sirius, too, with speculation.

"Natasha Grant was right," she said quietly.

The other man and woman turned around. He was tall, with black hair that stood up in the back in an unruly mess.

"Well, look who it is. Padfoot finally made it!"

The woman grinned. "Sirius!"

"Who are they?" Reg whispered. "They look like – "

"Prongs," the younger Sirius was saying. "And Lily. Dear Merlin, I thought I'd never see you again." His eyes shone bright.

"Now, none of that," said the man named Prongs in a mock-stern voice. His eyes twinkled as he regarded Maddy. "I believe she's already got me figured out, Padfoot." He hastily slid a pair of glasses on his face. "Does this help any? I don't really _need_ these, of course, but …"

Prongs – Harry's father, Reg assumed – looked not so much like a dad to Harry as much as an identical twin, albeit a grown-up version. Regulus looked more closely at him and saw hazel eyes, not unlike his mother's. They were the only thing that differentiated him from Harry, whose own eyes were almond-shaped and a different shade of green which Maddy had always admired.

The woman with Prongs sighed and shoved him to the side, stepping forward. She beamed at Maddy. "I'm Lily. And if this oaf would ever bother to introduce himself, he might tell you that he's James."

"Prongs works, as well," James said with a grin. He grabbed Sirius in a bear hug. "It's so good to see you again, Padfoot." They broke apart, then Sirius did the same with Lily. She held him close, whispering something in his ear that made him smile. Finally, he let go of her.

Before Maddy said anything, he announced, "This is my wife, Madeleine."

Lily broke into another huge grin. "See? I always told you your day would come, didn't I, Sirius?" Then, to Maddy, she said, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Madeleine." She turned back to Sirius. "You're all right, then, after everything?"

"Yeah. I am," Sirius said. He smiled, and it was more wistful now.

"Because I want you to know something," Lily continued, cupping his face with a hand. "We looked out for you all those years. But you couldn't have known it then, and I am so sorry for that."

"Thank you, Lily. That means more to me than you will ever know." He kissed her cheek.

The conversation was clearly headed in a sentimental direction, and James changed course. "So, you've seen Harry play Quidditch, eh? What do you think? Inherited his dad's talent, didn't he?"

Sirius grinned and winked. "He's better. But yeah, I watched him in his third year, when I was hiding out. He's bloody amazing. This year's been rough for him, though. He hasn't been able to play much at all."

"Well, here we are in paradise," Lily said drolly, "and these two can't stay away from sports talk for five minutes."

"Where exactly _are_ we?" Maddy finally asked. Reg thought she seemed hesitant to say more.

"Let's walk, and you will see soon enough. It's a favorite for the both of you, I'm told, and thus, you wound up here when you crossed through." Lily's explanation was vague, but Maddy didn't question her further.

Sirius took her hand, and followed James and Lily back on the path. The wood grew even denser, but it was beautiful there, with a variety of flowers and plants that Maddy wouldn't have known could survive with the lack of sunlight. The towering trees blocked most of it out. Sirius was looking around, taking everything in with deep, euphoric breaths. The path wound around the edge of the lake, though it was well-cleared, with no roots or branches to trip them up.

Regulus and his father followed along, close behind them. Sirius was silent now, and Reg wondered what his father was thinking. So this was _death_? He couldn't really believe that had happened to his parents. They seemed so normal, like nothing bad had ever happened. But in the last few hours, Regulus had learned more about his mother than he had ever known. Tortured, kidnapped_, died_? Right about the time she had gotten pregnant with him. He already knew his father's illustrious past. Sirius didn't speak much about Azkaban, but Regulus knew enough. He had been imprisoned for crimes he hadn't committed. Then he had escaped, a feat which made Reg proud, especially when his dad told him how he had done it. No one outside the family and surviving Order members knew about Padfoot; it was their secret.

Finally, Regulus decided that if this was death, it looked pretty good to him, though he had always imagined something more exciting, like non-stop Quidditch marathons. This wandering around lakes seemed like it would grow dull after a while. What did these people do to occupy themselves, anyway? He made a mental note to ask plenty of questions afterward.

The two couples in front of him slowed down, and Regulus looked around them to see what was going on. Apparently it was just a few more people joining the crowd. He didn't want to disappoint his father, but he sighed inwardly a little. Just then, Sirius spoke to him.

"Let's go ahead of them," he said. He walked right through the others, to where another man and woman were sitting by the side of the path on a log.

"Your mother and I were together here once," Sirius explained, as if that made sense. Then he went on. "Dementors attacked me, and she saved me from them."

"Blimey." Reg looked around the area, but it seemed like an ordinary lakeshore. Bits of flat shale crunched under the feet of the newcomers, and the lake was still enough, with gentle waves lapping the rocks. "I want to hear more about that!"

"Later. Take a look at these two people."

Regulus studied the man and woman who were deep in conversation. They looked up at the same time, and man's grey eyes seemed to observe Reg right back. Then he realized they were looking through him to the person behind him. Then he stood up, smiling. He was tall, almost the same height as Sirius. Not quite as handsome, but striking in his own way, and slender, with an elegant look about him.

Sirius put a hand on Reg's shoulder again. "That's your uncle. My brother -"

"Regulus," Sirius's voice whispered at the same time. Reg and his dad, observing the exchange, looked at the memory-Sirius. There was no animosity, but unspoken words hung heavy in the atmosphere around them_. What are you doing here?_

"Hello, Sirius."

Reg looked at his mother, who had been staring at Sirius's brother with frank curiosity. But the woman his uncle Regulus had been speaking with stood at that moment, giving Maddy her first look at her own mother in fifteen years.

"Mum," she whispered.

Reg looked wildly at his father for confirmation. "That's my grandmother?"

Sirius nodded.

The two women hugged, unlike Sirius and his brother. Maddy's mother held her for a long time, then finally let go to take a close look at` her daughter. She touched Maddy's face and smiled.

"My darling Maddy. You're beautiful. And I am so proud of you. I'm very anxious to meet your husband, as well."

Maddy took her eyes off her mother and smiled at her husband. "Well, you seemed to know quite a bit about him already. But this is Sirius."

He leaned over, kissing Carol O'Hannon's cheek, then she took his in her hands. "You were a good boy, Sirius. I remember." He laughed, caught off guard by such a motherly gesture.

"Well, thank you. My own mother didn't seem to think so."

"Well, it's the policy around here not to speak ill of those who didn't wind up on this side. So we won't worry about her."

Regulus, Sirius's brother, stood off to the side during this exchange. He seemed to be waiting his turn to speak to his older sibling. Rather than intrude on the conversation, though, he looked out into the woods. He finally turned back to see Maddy staring at him.

"Sirius, are you going to introduce us?"

"Oh. Madeleine, this is my brother Regulus. We haven't seen each other in years. Seventeen, to be exact, since he … left." His voice held no trace of ill will, but he finally had to ask. "I'll admit, I never thought to see you again."

Regulus finally spoke. "Well, there's a story behind that. I was hoping I could tell you about it."

Carol patted Sirius's shoulder, and she and Maddy wandered back to where James and Lily were. The sounds of quiet conversation drifted over to the two brothers, and young Reg was all ears now, wondering what was going to happen next. He walked up to Regulus to compare his features to his father's.

"Okay," memory-Sirius was saying. "I can imagine this'll be interesting."

Reg looked down momentarily before meeting his brother's eye. "First of all, I want you to know how much I looked up to you. You were always the strong one, it seemed. I know how bad things were for you with Mum and Dad, and I must tell you that I'm sorry I made things worse."

"Yes, I remember."

"Eventually, I was the favorite child, and you were the big disappointment. I enjoyed it. I made sure I fit in with the other Slytherins; tried to emphasize your differences to our parents, so they'd like me more."

Memory-Sirius shifted a little, and Reg noticed his own father was listening intently to every word, though he must have heard them all before.

Regulus continued. "I fell in with Voldemort, though back then nobody was supposed to say his name, y'know, as if we weren't worthy. He was very powerful, and growing more so every day. Mum and Dad thought his was a noble cause. I knew if I joined up, they would be so proud of me. Many of my friends did the same. It was heady, all his promises of power and glory, and seemed like a great thing. At first."

"How long did that feeling last?" Sirius asked wryly. "Before you chickened out and got yourself killed, I mean."

Regulus didn't take offense. "I know that's what you always thought. It's probably my biggest regret, Sirius, that you didn't know what really happened."

"What else could've happened?"

"Right before I died, Voldemort wanted a house elf. He wouldn't say why, but I was the first person he looked at. By then, most of the allure had gone, and I realized Voldemort for what he was; a megalomaniac, psychopath, what have you. But I offered our house elf, and he took him. Kreacher was gone for ages and didn't return, as expected. At least not until I commanded him. When he came back he was very ill; raving, in fact. Then, finally he improved a little, enough to tell me what Voldemort had forced him to do. I couldn't take anymore."

"What did Voldemort do?"

"Do you know what Horcruxes are?"

Sirius shook his head, and Reg, watching the exchange, looked questioningly at his father.

"Well," Regulus went on, "Voldemort was terrified of one thing. Death. He liked to say he had conquered it, but really, he was so afraid of death that he was willing to break up pieces of his soul in an effort to remain alive in some capacity."

Sirius frowned, but Regulus continued. "He killed to separate these bits of his soul, and then planned to take objects that meant something to him, hiding the fragments in them. One of them was the locket of Salazar Slytherin. He had planted it in a cave at the sea where he had taken Kreacher. Kreacher was ill because Voldemort had forced him to drink poison that surrounded the Horcrux. He wanted to test it, to be sure it was impossible to steal.

"Kreacher would've died there. Another living thing cast off by Voldemort, who had no respect for anything nor anyone. I was enraged, seeing him in such a pitiful state. I loved Kreacher. Once he had recovered, I told him to take me back to that place. I figured it meant a good chance of dying, but I knew I couldn't continue to be a Death Eater, andVoldemort would get me for defecting sooner or later. He would know I'd changed. I decided I would choose my own fate."

"Death Eaters didn't get you, then," Sirius said faintly.

"No. The details are immaterial, but I died in that cave. I managed to command Kreacher not to tell anyone what had happened. I didn't want you, or Mum or Dad to suffer for it. But Lord knows, you suffered enough, Sirius. At least you had your friend over there -" he gestured to James, "to get you through it. He told me he was with you many times when you sought him out. And your wife's mother told me all about the things she'd _seen_. That made me happy. You're a bit like Job, I think. In spite of everything bad that happened, you got a new life, and some joy."

Sirius looked around. "Yeah, well, I'd say that's all over with now, isn't it?"

"Actually, no."

Before Regulus said anything else, Maddy walked back to the two men, followed by the others.

Sirius's son Reg broke in. "How long were you here, Dad?"

"I don't know. Seemed like days, though."

"Blimey! Is this memory going to last that long?"

"It's almost over. I want you to see one more thing, and then that'll be enough for you, I think."

"What's that?"

But the people in the vision were fading, like a chapter in a book had ended. Reg emerged from the pensieve, and Sirius took hold of him to keep him from falling. They blinked a few times to accustom themselves to their surroundings.

"Why don't you sit down?" Sirius asked. "We can continue in the morning." He stood up tall and rubbed the small of his back, grimacing. "There ought to be a more comfortable way of doing this!"

Regulus shook his head. "I want to see more. How'd you get back? That Regulus looks just like you! Well, a younger version, I mean." He glanced at his father's hair, a liberal mix of gray streaks amongst waves of dark brown.

"He looks more like you. I think so every time I see this. We did the right thing, naming you after him." Sirius smiled at his son.

"Wow … did you ever see Voldemort, Dad?"

"Once, after he came back." He switched topic. "Reg, I'm ready for a break. It's getting late, anyway. How about I show you the rest of this tomorrow morning?"

Reg was disappointed, but he shrugged. "Okay."

"It'll be bedtime soon, and your mum's birthday is tomorrow. You can look at it, first thing, before everyone gets here."

"Yeah, Saoirse and I are fixing her breakfast."

"Good." Sirius hugged his son. "I love you, Reg."

"I know," Reg repeated. His voice was muffled, and he broke away, slightly embarrassed. "Love you, too."

"I don't want to ever stop telling you that. I don't remember my own parents ever saying it to me." He patted his son on the back, then walked out, leaving Regulus in the study. "Now, go on to bed soon, right?" he called over his shoulder.

Regulus nodded, lost in thought.

#

Maddy was sitting in bed reading when Sirius walked in. He closed the door behind him.

"How did it go?"

"Very well, so far." Sirius looked her over. She was wearing a filmy nightgown that left just enough to the imagination. He began to unbutton his shirt. Maddy kept the book open, but lost interest in it, preferring to watch him instead. Once he had removed the last of his clothing, he crawled into the bed next to her and touched the swell of her breast so softly she barely felt the warmth of his hand. "I know it's not quite your birthday yet. I thought you might like an early pressie, though."

His lips found the place his hand had just touched, and she drew in a breath, watching his tongue brush against it. He moved to the other one, leaving a sensation of cool wetness on the gauzy material covering her breast. Flipping the book closed, Sirius tossed it in the floor and concentrated his efforts on the second breast. He enjoyed his wife's reaction – the noises she made, gripping his shoulder tightly so that he knew she wanted more, sliding her leg under him and using it to nudge him on top of her. He obliged, positioning himself so she could feel exactly how hard he was.

"Y'know, I rather like that our children think we couldn't possibly be doing this," he whispered in her ear before kissing her behind it. "Almost like we're sneaking around, being naughty."

"So they know the horrible truth – that their parents fuck each other?" She laughed softly.

Sirius sat up on his elbows. "Take this off." He fingered the material. "I can see right through it, anyway."

"Well, I wasn't really interested in reading that book," she whispered back. "I was hoping you'd want to do this. And I think you should take my clothing off."

"If you want to call _this_ 'clothing', I'll be more than happy to." He slid his hands under her bottom and tugged the material, sliding it over her head. "I'll just tell you, being reminded of that time I lifted your skirt and had you in the Ministry elevator has made me want you very badly. I doubt I could keep my hands off you if I tried."

"Ooh, that was lovely," she said, thoroughly aroused. "I want to try that again someday. Maybe over the desk in your office. Reckon that'll get us in trouble with Flitwick?"

He stopped what he was doing to grin at her. "Ah, that'd be like old times. The getting in trouble part, not the reason for it. Just a different headmaster."

"Siri," Maddy whispered.

"What?"

"Make love to me."

#

"Okay, Reg. This is a continuation of the place we saw yesterday. Much later, though."

It was late the next morning, after a breakfast which left everyone very full. Sirius would rather have waited until the end of the day, when everyone was gone, but Regulus insisted on watching what happened next. Saoirse had scowled at him, but her mother took her aside and promised to share her own secrets. Mollified, Reg's sister had left him alone for the time being, and he followed Sirius up the stairs to the study where the pensieve still sat open.

Once the other memories had been removed and re-bottled, a new one was poured in. Sirius gave his son a quick review of where they would be when they fell into it, and they began.

#

This time, the scenery was different. The same group of people were present, and seemed to be in the throes of a discussion that seemed centered around Sirius and Maddy's presence.

"Padfoot, I don't think you have a choice. It's your wife that does," James said.

"Choice about what?" Reg whispered to his dad.

Memory-Sirius looked distressed for the first time, and he clasped his wife's hand firmly in his.

"Sirius, she has to be given that option. It's not right to make her go back with you."

"I don't want to go back, otherwise. I want her with me!"

"Can't we both stay here?" Maddy asked. "Can't you stay if you want, Sirius?"

Carol spoke up. "Sirius is going to return, regardless. It's you, Maddy, that can stay. You're in a more unique situation, though."

Maddy frowned. "Why? Because of Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"What does that Bellatrix lady have to do with it?" Reg asked Sirius as they watched.

"She's the one who killed your mother. I'll tell you the rest later."

Maddy was growing distressed, herself. "I don't want to be without him."

"We don't have much time now," Lily said. Her voice was gentle but firm. "Normally, once a person is killed, nothing can bring them back. But you were killed right at the same time you went through the veil. Now_, that_ might not make a difference. However, your mother administered a blood vow when you were both children. Remember?"

"Yes. That's supposed to help?"

Maddy's mother spoke up. "It tied you even more closely to each other, in addition to your other vows. And then you renewed it on your wedding night. Remember those words you said? 'I will cherish and honor you through this life and into the next'? You sealed them with your blood, all over again. Sirius can take you back, since he is able to return. If he had been struck by a killing curse, things would be different. Same for if you had been here any length of time. The longer a person is here, the more difficult it is to return, or _want_ to go back. But you only just got knocked through the archway."

"We've been here for ages!" Maddy said. Reg watched her, growing disturbed by her lack of enthusiasm about returning. Damn, did she not care that she was carrying _him_ at the time?

"You'll see," Carol said. "Maddy, you need to make a decision about this. Sirius won't be here much longer."

"How do you know?"

"I can tell." Sirius spoke up quietly.

Maddy turned to look at him.

"Remus," he added. "I can sense him. Like he's hovering around the edge of this place, looking for me."

"I don't want you to leave me, Sirius." Maddy sounded more desperate.

"So that's your decision? You're going to return with him?" James asked.

She hesitated. "It's lovely here."

Reg snorted a little as he watched, and his father cast him an amused glance. "There's a lot you haven't seen, Reg," he whispered. "It's hard, returning."

Sirius in the memory watched his wife closely.

"There's something else," her mother said. "If you don't go back, the child you're carrying will be gone. As if he never existed."

"Wait … I'm pregnant?"

"You are. He's the one you've _seen_ before, many times."

"Bloody hell," Reg whispered, forgetting himself. "_This_ is where she found out about me?"

Sirius nodded. "Watch," he reminded his son.

"So I _have_ to go back." Maddy said.

"You're not being forced either way. If you're happy here, you can remain. Just not with your husband, not until he dies a natural death. Be advised, however, if you stay, the blood vow that tied you to him will be broken if you stay and he goes. He'll be free to marry someone else, and you may never see him again. Even here."

She looked askance. "I don't – "

Maddy, dear, stop waffling and make up your mind!" her mother said sharply. "It's time."

Maddy looked at Sirius, who glanced over helplessly at James and Lily.

"Prongs – "

"Go on, Sirius. We love you. We'll meet again someday for the Marauders' reunion, promise." He winked.

"We love you, Sirius," Lily repeated. "You and Remus. Tell him."

Sirius hugged them both, and then Regulus, who smiled at him when they broke away. "I'm glad I got to see you, Reg."

"Me, too, Siri," his brother said.

Sirius looked back at Maddy, and she walked over and put her arms around him.

"Is this where we part?" he asked, frowning. "I don't want to say goodbye to you. I love you, Madeleine."

"I love you, Sirius. I only want – "

Reg – the son – watched, wide-eyed, but Maddy never finished the sentence. In a spectacular blur, like being sucked through a vacuum, the place was gone. Instead, Sirius and Maddy were suddenly lying on cold stone. He opened his eyes, vaguely registering droplets of water falling on him. Confused, he looked around for the source, and found it directly above him. Beads of sweat dripped off the face of a man with sandy blond hair who looked down at him, holding a wand. His breaths were labored, and his chest rose and fell with his exertions. A thick cord, which seemed to be an extension of his wand, disintegrated when he lowered it.

"Merlin's beard, Sirius! I thought you were gone for certain. Thank God I got you out before you passed through that thing!" The man looked around furtively, but the place was relatively quiet now.

Sirius stared at him, uncomprehending.

"Maddy … well, I don't think I was able to help her." He looked over at her inert form.

"Maddy?" Sirius whispered.

"She's here, next to you. I'm so sorry, Padfoot. She was hit by a killing curse before going through that archway."

"But she came back …" Sirius struggled to sit up, but found it difficult. "Mad – " He tried to shake his wife gently.

"Sirius, I'm so sorry." The other man's voice was a whisper now, and his eyes shone in the dim light.

"Harry … where is he? Where is everyone else?"

Remus sighed. "He ran out of here after Bellatrix. But Dumbledore followed him. The others are taking care of the injured. Moody and Dora among them."

Maddy stirred, jolting Remus considerably. He watched, bug-eyed, as she came to. She slowly took in her surroundings before her gaze settled on Remus.

"Maddy!" he said. "You're all right!"

Sirius's hand was still on her, and he moved to touch her cheek with it.

"What happened?" she asked softly, covering his hand with her own. She looked around the room at the rubble and dust, still heavy in the air.

Remus was absolutely gobsmacked, but he managed to speak. "You and Sirius almost went through the archway. You disappeared for, oh, not even a split second before I managed to use an _Incarcero_ spell to bind you and yank you back. It was much more difficult than I imagined, though." He grimaced. "I can't believe you're alive, Maddy!"

"Quick thinking, Moony," Sirius said. He grinned, relieved that his wife seemed to be okay.

"It was the watch," Remus said. "I kept checking the time. Never thought it was going to be 4:32 in the_ morning_, though!" He yawned, as if reminded of how exhausted he should be right now.

Maddy looked back at Remus, and suddenly thought of something. "I need to ask you something."

"What's that?"

"Who are you, and what is this place?"


	45. Looking Back, and Forward

Sirius paused to let his last words sink in, watching his son open his mouth in astonishment.

"Trying to catch flies?" he asked with a grin, then he quickly hid it. It was easy for him to laugh about it now. But he remembered exactly how Maddy had been, utterly confused about everyone and everything, except him. As if her brain had been shaken up, the contents jumbled around in no particular order. It had taken a long time for them to settle back into the correct places.

"What did she do, Dad? How'd she lose her memory?"

"I don't know. I've thought about it here and there over the years, and I think – just from our experience, of course – that you can't cross over like that without sacrificing something in return. Some things temporary, a few permanent. Maybe it was just the shock of coming back through." His mouth twisted again, but he wasn't smiling this time.

"What does that mean? She's obviously okay now."

"Oh, of course. She was better in that regard after six months or so. Except for one thing."

"Huh?"

"She lost her ability for the _sight_. She's tried seeing things since then, but has never had another vision since before you were born."

Regulus was jolted into silence, before blurting out, "Saoirse said – " He clamped his mouth shut.

"What did she say?"

Actually, Saoirse had told him something about herself along those lines. She claimed to have had a vision. But she had also told him to keep quiet about it, a fact which he remembered rather belatedly.

"Nothing." Regulus had begun to think of other things, and his mind raced, trying to work them all out. "So was that all that happened? You just met up with old friends, then came back?" He seemed a bit disappointed.

Sirius smiled. He had anticipated the question. "No. We seemed to be there for quite a while. I couldn't tell you how long – we never slept. There was no need. Though when we talked about Hogwarts, reminiscing, I recall looking up and seeing the castle in the distance. We talked about all our ramblings on full moon nights, and suddenly, the stars would be out and the moon high in the sky. Just for example."

Regulus noticed his father wore a much more distant look as he related this part of the story. Then his dad continued.

"I expect Remus is doing much the same thing, where he's at. Probably having a grand time with Prongs and the rest. I've always wondered where Severus is."

Regulus missed the point. "Albus's middle name is Severus. Is that who you mean?"

"No, Albus's namesake, Severus Snape, remember? We'll talk about him this year in Defense. And the old Albus, too, come to that." Sirius wondered what kinds of things would make those two people enjoy the afterlife. What friends, stories, family, or visions would make them feel at home? He figured, at least for Severus, that Lily played into it somehow. He hoped that Severus had managed to make his peace with James and Remus. A peace that he had never quite managed himself with the man who had sacrificed his life to fight Voldemort. Oh well, file that under something he wasn't meant to know for many more years, hopefully.

"Reg, we've got company coming. Why don't you go help your mother and sister clean the house up? I'll be along shortly."

Regulus, who had been on the verge of another question, nodded. He was clearly disappointed, but resolved to corner his father at a later time, when he had more of a chance to think about things. As he ambled down the stairs, he imagined his mother, pregnant with him sixteen years ago, in the midst of the great war. Had they lived here, in this house, back then? And what was the comment about sacrificing something by coming back? Had his father sacrificed anything?

His parents didn't speak of the past too often, but he knew they had been part of an eclectic group of resistance fighters called the Order of the Phoenix. Reg also knew that many of them had died, and his parents had mourned the loss of them. The others still kept in contact occasionally; the Weasley family, for example. What had happened to that Bellatrix, though? She must have died, as well, he supposed.

He had to admit, most kids his age would be mortified to have not one, but both parents employed at their school. But it had been a boon for Reg, at least. By the time he had started at Hogwarts, his father was well-established and respected as a professor teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. After all, who better for that job than one whose life had been affected so much by them? And his mother had returned to teach Arithmancy once Saoirse started classes, having stayed at home with them both when they were younger.

Then there was Harry. His parents'godson, and a man Reg was proud to say he knew better than most people. Harry had come to the school here and there on his dad's request, to speak about some of his personal experiences. He was very low-key about it all, though, endearing himself _and_ his godfather to students that much more. Yeah, Reg and Saoirse had fared very well at school because of those associations. His father (and mother, in Saoirse's case, with Arithmancy) had made a point of being every bit as tough on them as the other students. Reg didn't mind, though. He was well on his way to being the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, with any luck, and he never wanted for a companion on Hogsmeade weekends. His father chastised him on occasion about letting things go to his head, claiming in a lofty tone that he was the_ voice of experience_, but Reg just rolled his eyes at him. He figured his dad was just blowing smoke in an effort to keep him out of detentions, a state of affairs he didn't mind so much anyway, if he was with his mates. Unless they were cleaning toilets like muggles, at least.

#

Sirius watched his son leave, then he carefully removed the last threads of thought that were his memories of the other side, putting them back into the proper vial. Poor Reg only thought that place was boring. Sirius wished he were able to tell him the rest. Something prevented him, though. More than once, he had tried to preserve other memories from the place, the ones that were indescribable in their beauty, and the sheer amount of _joy_ … But whenever he searched his mind to draw them out, they skipped just out of reach of his wand tip and seemed to fade a little more with each try. He finally gave up, worried that he would lose them forever if he didn't stop.

Madeleine, though. He hadn't told Regulus all that had gone on with her in those days after returning. She couldn't remember much of anything for a good six months or so, throughout most of her pregnancy. And even then, memories of anything not directly related to the man she had bonded herself to were elusive, only peeking out of hiding at will, only to slink back in the shadows later. She described it once as similar to the process of regaining her memory after the dementor attack on her and Sirius years before. But however much of this world had been temporarily lost to her, she hadn't forgotten anything about their time on the other side. She spoke of it so candidly that their friends would shift uncomfortably and change the subject. Most people didn't _really_ want to know what death was like.

Then a few months after the veil, Umbridge's trial loomed, and Albus felt it was essential for Maddy to testify against her. The date had already been postponed a few times, and couldn't be held off any longer. So Maddy had agreed to speak of things she had absolutely no memory for. Albus had toyed with the idea of_ imperiusing _Maddy - with her permission- to get her testimony out, in case she was asked a question she wasn't prepared for. They weren't lies, the things she would report; everything had happened. But Sirius thought of something else, something that hadn't been taken away from Maddy - legilimency. Even if the idea was a convoluted one, he figured that his wife could more or less see inside his mind if he pulled up details she had told him of the day she was tortured. She watched him as she spoke, and even through the filter of his secondhand knowledge about what had happened, she managed to relate the details.

And in the end, no one had a clue that Maddy didn't even know most of what she was talking about. Sirius wanted to get her out of there as soon as possible, though. He knew Umbridge's veritaserum confession wasn't useful to his wife.

He had taken her hand, leading her down the black-tiled hallway to the nearest elevator, where a pimply-faced operator obliged by opening the door. In a burst of inspiration, Sirius yanked his wand out and forced the poor kid out of the lift. He let it close, and then guided his wife's hand with his wand to the bank of buttons. He reminded her which spell to use. She whispered it, and the lift grated to a halt. And after two months of feeling guilty about her twin conditions of early pregnancy and memory loss, two months in which they had died, come back, and hadn't touched each other intimately because of bout after bout of morning sickness, he pushed her against the wall and kissed her with such ferocity he was afraid he might hurt her.

She had enjoyed it every bit as much, though, and let him force himself repeatedly into her with only half their clothes removed, in the corner of the lift with her legs wrapped around him. And when they were done, breathing heavily and disheveled with the after-effects of chaotic lovemaking, Maddy pulled out her own wand and used a spell she remembered, apparating them to a place which she knew. Their home. The hapless lift operator was somewhere outside, but Sirius didn't feel a bit guilty that the kid didn't know _his _little secret – his own sacrifice – when he had pointed his wand at him. He'd had no magical power whatsoever.

#

Sirius, now fifty-two years old, looked out the window of the study, remembering that time. He could see the tree where he and Maddy had been in her first vision. He recalled the day they had actually sat down there, watching their son play, and said all the right things. Things that they knew by heart, having seen them in the pensieve over and over again. They had wondered when would be the right time to live it out, but when that day arrived, they had known instinctively.

"Are you going to help us out, then?" Maddy's voice came from the doorway. Sirius turned to look at her. She smiled at him and walked over to see what he had been looking at. "You seem awfully deep in thought, Padfoot."

"I was talking to Reg about everything."

Maddy put her arms around him to enjoy the feeling of his warmth against her. He kissed her hair. "Happy birthday, darling. I love you," he murmured against it.

"Thank you. I love you, mo chuisle."

"You know I can't hear you say that without thinking you're going to belt out that my trousers are on fire."

"So are they?" He felt a vibration against his chest.

"Of course."

"What were you thinking?"

"Oh, I hadn't gotten around to telling Reg about my own 'sacrifice'."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Losing my magical ability, back then."

"Oh yeah. Y'know, I barely remember all that, anymore."

"Well, I remember it. I don't know how you put up with me. It was like being a kid again, and not being able to use magic outside of school. Only worse. I couldn't be of any use to Harry. I was afraid the wards wouldn't hold here. I worried about protecting you and our child."

"You got it back, though." She looked away briefly.

"I wonder why those things happened." He twisted a bit of her hair with his finger as he repeated an oft-asked question, but knew she couldn't answer it any more than he could.

"Might as well have been Siamese twins there for a while. You with all the memory, me with the magical ability."

Sirius smiled, but he suspected his wife hadn't forgotten a bit of that period, despite her words. He hadn't been especially kind or helpful to her during the latter part of her pregnancy, which had been difficult. And with his newly muggle-like status, hitting the firewhiskey hadn't helped to numb anything, either. He had begun to improvise by frequenting an off-license in Dovetown for muggle single-malt whiskey. Even worse, with the departure of his powers, his animagus form had also deserted him, leaving him to feel extremely vulnerable, ambling along the little path to the town. Sirius began to despair that they would ever return. When Maddy's memory came back and his magical powers didn't, he became even more bitter.

As the last few months passed before Regulus was born, Maddy would find him sitting by the fire in an alcohol-induced trance more and more, his mind in a comfortable netherworld. Finally, exhausted with advanced pregnancy and infuriated by her inability to shake him out of the habit, she had trained her wand on a half-open bottle one evening and disintegrated it.

"_Why the fuck did you do that?" he exclaimed, startled._

"_Obvious, isn't it?_" _She was surprised her voice sounded so calm. "You've had more than enough. Keep it up and you won't have a liver left."_

"_Who cares?" _

_Her voice rose. "Me, you arse. Lay off the muggle stuff. It's damaging you, Sirius!"_

"_I'm already damaged! You have to do everything for me. Bloody hell, I can't even _see_ headquarters anymore. I can't do anything useful, for you nor the Order!" _

"_I know. You're too damned drunk and busy feeling sorry for yourself. Do something for our child, then, if that's what you think. Sirius, I mean it. I'm tired, physically and mentally. I can't take you not caring."_

"_Y'know, I'm sick of you and your tirades!" _

"_Well, I'm sick of you. If this is the kind of man you are, wizard or no, I don't want you around our child!" Maddy took an empty bottle and lobbed it against the wall. A shard ricocheted off, grazing her cheek and making her wince._

_Sirius didn't move, but only glared defiantly at her. She put her hand to her face and felt blood welling on her cheek. Finally, she turned and walked out of the room in disgust._

_For two weeks they spoke to each other only when necessary, and Maddy became increasingly depressed and uncomfortable. Molly Weasley made a few appearances to check on her, which didn't improve Sirius's mood any. She took note of his unkempt appearance, wrinkled clothing, and the smell of Scotch whiskey, but for once didn't say anything. When she realized Maddy hadn't bothered to decorate a nursery, she offered to assist, and the two spent an afternoon working on the room._

_They had been at it for a few hours when they heard a crashing noise downstairs, as if glass had shattered. Molly looked questioningly at Maddy, who sighed and rolled her eyes._

"_Guess I get to fix that later," she said with gritted teeth, "whatever it was."_

_A few seconds later it happened again. All was silent downstairs for few minutes, then the sound repeated several more times in rapid succession. _

"_Maybe we should check on him," Molly suggested quickly, even though the thought of being in the middle of some domestic episode made her more than uncomfortable. She didn't want Maddy to be hurt if Sirius was truly off his rocker._

"_Right," Maddy said. She headed downstairs to the study, where he was usually to be found these days. Molly followed close behind her. When they reached the doorway to the room, Sirius was standing in the middle of the room with his back to them. Broken glass littered the carpet, looking like a collection of sparkling odd-shaped diamonds in the dim light. Three goblets were left intact, still positioned in a neat row in the bookcase._

"What_ are you doing?" Maddy finally asked, exasperated. "Y'know, those were very nice wedding presents."_

_Sirius whirled around, and for the first time in months he had a smile on his face._

"_Albus sent a patronus to say Harry's in the hospital wing," he said._

_Molly spoke up, temporarily forgetting the noise. "Oh, dear! What happened?"_

"_Some git in Gryffindor cracked his skull with a bludger during a Quidditch match. They lost."_

_Maddy opened her mouth, trying to piece this information together along with Sirius's elevated mood and the broken glass. Perhaps he really had gone off the deep end. He finally realized, at their expressions, that he should provide a better explanation._

"_I was angry. Which is why all these goblets are broken. You should see your face, Mad." He gave a merry bark-like laugh._

"_I'm sure I must look very confused. That would be because I am. What the hell are you going on about?" Then she noticed his right hand. It clutched his wand in a death grip._

"_Albus sent that message. I was angry and frustrated. All these months, Hogwarts just looked like a ruin to me, and I knew I couldn't go to him. I had that feeling come over me, y'know, like when we were kids and we could make things happen when we were scared or angry? Next thing I knew, I looked at the goblet, and it exploded."_

_Maddy felt the atmosphere cool behind her, and realized that Molly had left her alone with him. She eyed him for a minute. But before she could say anything, he went on._

"_So I grabbed my wand out of that drawer and tried for another one. It shattered, Mad. I kept going, and the wand kept working." His eyes shone with excitement, but with an edge of uncertainty._

_She observed him for a moment. "Well, can you use it to clean this mess up?" She didn't really mean to sound cold, but she wanted to see his magic for herself._

"_Yes!" He grinned, and with a practiced whip of the instrument, all goblets pieced themselves back together. Maddy walked over to him and began to pick them up off the carpet. She set them back in the bookcase, then turned back to him._

"_You should probably go check on Harry, then." Maddy was excited that Sirius's magic might be back to normal, but damned if she would show it, after he had all but ignored her the last few months when she needed him. She turned to leave the room._

_Trudging up the stairs, a feat that was increasingly difficult with swollen ankles and an achy back, Maddy heard a noise behind her. In a moment, Padfoot accompanied her the rest of the way, letting her clutch his fur for extra stability. When she reached the top, he transformed back into Sirius, and Maddy realized she was still holding on to him, only it was his shirt she gripped now._

"_Just wanted to make sure I could still do it," he said. _

_She nodded. "I'm going to lie down, I think."_

"_You okay?" he asked._

"_Do you care?" _

"_You know I do," Sirius said, his voice softer now._

"_No, I don't know that. Just go."_

_She poked her head into the nursery to let Molly know she would be in her bedroom, and the other woman nodded in understanding._

Now, as they looked out the window, Sirius hugged his wife again. "I'm sorry, Mad. About everything back then."

"Forget about it. We've been over that, years ago. No need to do it again." Maddy looked away, though, putting her ear to his chest. She could hear the steady thump of his heartbeat. It had been quite a while before they were back to rights, and she had always wondered why those things had happened. The memory loss, the disappearance of his power. Perhaps they had cheated God by coming back, and that was His way of evening the score a little, to let them know who was boss. _The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away_, Job had said. Well, He had taken away the sight, anyway, and for good. Not that Maddy was sorry. She hadn't enjoyed that responsibility. It was another thing she had always wondered, though. _Seeing_ Sirius go through the veil – was that why she had been meant to have visions in the first place?

Maddy shrugged to herself. She was thankful for one thing in particular. Sirius's horrific memories of Azkaban had all but disappeared. Where once he had been prone to nightmares, sometimes waking up in a shaky cold sweat, Sirius hadn't been bothered by flashbacks, nor bad dreams, in years.

"Well, Reg is asking a lot of questions. I couldn't help but think of it. At least I was more helpful when you had Saoirse."

She nodded against him. Saoirse had been born a few years after the War was over, a bittersweet time for the Blacks after losing so many friends and colleagues. "You're a good father, Padfoot," she said. Maddy knew exactly how important it was to Sirius to show his children how much he loved them.

"Thank you, darling. I hope so. Now, let's go help the kids." He drew away and wrapped her hand in his own. Together, they walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Reg stood against the counter, flipping through a broomstick magazine. He quickly shoved it behind him and grabbed a dustrag that had been lying idle next to it.

"Working hard, Reg?" Sirius asked. He grabbed an apple and grinned at his son before biting into it. "Where's Saoirse?"

"In here," a voice called from the study. "I found something!"

Maddy and Sirius walked into the study, followed closely by Regulus.

"What is it?" Maddy asked. "Oh!"

A large opening had appeared in the dark paneling of a wall next to the bookcase. Saoirse peered into inky blackness.

"What is this?" She repeated her mother's words. "I almost fell into it! It appeared out of nowhere."

Sirius poked his wand into it. "_Lumos_." A frail wooden staircase descended into nothingness, past the point of the wand tip's light.

"Let me see!" Reg edged his way past the others. "Blimey. Where does this go?"

"Well, it's a cellar, for one," his dad said. "And a tunnel."

"A _tunnel_? To where?"

Sirius grinned at Maddy before answering. "Why, to Hogwarts, of course."

"To Hogwarts?! How did I never know about this?"

"Well, honestly, Reg, I figured you for a much more enterprising bloke than you've turned out to be. I thought you'd have discovered this long ago."

Reg stood back a little, contemplating the possibilities of mischief he had been denied all those years. "Where does it come out?" he finally asked.

"The kitchens," Maddy answered. "The house was a temporary hospital during the Battle of Hogwarts."

Now both kids gaped at their parents. "You're joking!"

"No," Maddy said. "Even got infiltrated by the enemy at one point."

"What happened?" Reg asked.

"An … undesirable person got in. It was just you and I here. Your dad was at the castle; he had gone to fight. About the time of that last big battle."

"So are you going to tell me who this person was?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Bloody hell! That woman who – " Reg pointed a finger at his father.

"That's the one."

"What happened?"

Maddy raised an eyebrow. "She came to finish the job. Thought she'd just take over our house and give Voldemort a comfortable place to stay." She hesitated for only a moment. "She was going to kill us both."

Reg was officially floored. "Well, she didn't, obviously," he said, looking down at himself for confirmation. Maddy grinned at him.

"No. I managed to hold her off for a bit, but then I had some help." Now her grin turned to a sweeter smile.

"Who? Dad?" Saoirse asked, glancing at Sirius, who looked down.

"No. I didn't know. I thought we'd protected the house impeccably, though I'd had to relax the wards somewhat if we were to shelter students and teachers. Bellatrix found out about the tunnel."

"So who saved you?"

"A house elf. Quite ingenious, really."

"Really? Which one?" Regulus thought of the various house elves in residence at Hogwarts, but he barely knew any of them. Perhaps it was Dobby, whom Harry had spoken of many times.

"One named Kreacher. He's since died, though it was later on."

Sirius interrupted. "Come downstairs … I'll show you the tunnel."

He and Maddy went first, waiting for the kids to follow. Regulus bounded down the rickety steps with confidence, but Saoirse was more timid, holding the makeshift rail gingerly. When they were at the bottom, breathing in the scent of musty earth, Sirius took up the story.

"I always hated Kreacher. He was my family's house elf, and I was always on the outs with my family. He loved Regulus, though. When your mother and I … " He glanced at Saoirse, then to Maddy. "Well, Seersh, your mum can tell you that story later. But anyway, Reg, remember my conversation with my brother Regulus, and how Kreacher had helped him? Well, after all that happened, I had a nice long chat with him. Cleared the air a bit. Never would have happened if I hadn't known Regulus had changed loyalties, but there you go. I told him I was sending him to Hogwarts to work in the kitchens. I still didn't trust him; he'd been sending messages to Bellatrix and Narcissa, and I was done with worrying about Order business being told to them. So off he went. I'd told him Mad – your mother, I mean – was pregnant, and we were going to name the child Regulus. We'd known you would be a boy. He cried. He said he wanted to see you when you were born, and he did. Kreacher was there when you were not even an hour old. He thought you looked just like his master when he was born."

Maddy looked away, thankful for the dim light of Sirius's wand to hide the shimmer of tears in her eyes. She had never forgotten the sweet gesture of Kreacher kissing baby Reg's forehead, nor the protection he vowed for him. It had come in handy.

"So Bellatrix showed up. I thought at first it was your dad. You were playing in the kitchen floor with some blocks. Then I heard a laugh that I'd never forgotten. Fortunately I had my wand close by; I grabbed it and lobbed a curse before I'd even gotten a good look at her. I was terrified she would hit you with one, though. I tried to maneuver her into the dining room, but she kept trying to attack you. I was forced to block her spells, because she knew protecting you would matter far more to me than doing damage to her. She was playing with me; trying to wear me down so she could get us both. So I called him."

_Kreacher_, she had whispered.

With a deafening crack, the house elf had appeared. _Help me_, Maddy said. _She'll kill Regulus._

"That's_ your defense?" Bellatrix shrieked with laughter. "He'd never harm me; he's just a fucking house elf. Kreacher, dear, go away. I'm more your mistress than this muggle-loving bitch, _and_ my useless _muggle_ cousin. Oh yes, we've all heard about how he lost his power. Serves him right. Now, I've a job to do here, if you please."_

_She effectively blocked a curse which Maddy had thrown at her. "Your little brat's going to die! Useless little disgrace to the name of Black. And you'll be next."_

"_You're not my mistress," Kreacher said calmly, "and Kreacher vowed to protect this child. I'll see to it you never harm him." He lifted a hand, and hurled something invisible at her. With a fleeting look of shock accompanied by another loud crack, Bellatrix disappeared._

"What happened to her?" Saoirse asked with wide eyes.

Maddy shrugged. "Well, he couldn't bring himself to kill the old hag, but he made her go away, at least temporarily. She reared her ugly head again soon enough, though. Eventually she was killed in that last battle. By Molly Weasley, bless her."

"Yeah, well, there were plenty of us who wanted to have a go at her, but I reckon Molly had more right than anyone. Bellatrix had threatened to kill Ginny," Sirius added. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, then slid them back on again.

"Wow. Whatever happened to Kreacher? I think I remember a house elf when I was little. Was that him?"

"Yes. He died just after Saoirse was born. He'd wanted to see her, as well. He was one of the first to visit you, dear." Sirius smiled at his daughter.

"So, Dad, can I use this tunnel sometime?" Reg peered off into the darkness.

"We'll see," Sirius said, knowing fully well that Regulus had already snuck off with Teddy Lupin for illicit Hogsmeade ventures using the tunnel into Honeydukes. He started to suggest that everyone head back upstairs, but at that moment they heard the distant thud of the front door knocker.

"Great. The house is still a wreck." Sirius strode up the stairs, followed by the children and Maddy. He took his wand, uttering a spell, and everything began to put itself in order.

"Why didn't you do that to begin with?" Regulus muttered.

"Because it wouldn't hurt you to clean like a muggle once in a while! Builds character." Sirius clapped his son on the back. He went to the front door and opened it to reveal Harry and Ginny, flanked by several others.

"Hello! Come in, you lot. How are you, Harry?" Sirius asked, giving his godson a bear hug.

"Good, thanks. Hi, Maddy! Reg, Saoirse, how's it going?" Harry grinned at them. Ginny came in behind him, holding four year old Lily's hand. She was flanked by Albus and James, who looked to Reg with something akin to hero worship.

"Dromeda!" Sirius exclaimed when a dark-haired witch appeared in the doorway behind Harry's family. She was with a teenage boy who had a shock of violet hair.

Maddy grinned; she couldn't help it when she saw his resemblance to his mother. "Hi Ted! How are you?"

He smiled shyly, and she changed her opinion. His smile was his father's. "Good, thanks. What's up, Reg?" The two boys immediately stalked off upstairs together, followed by Harry's two hangers-on.

Saoirse looked after Teddy longingly as he ascended the stairs. Maddy caught the glance, but said nothing. Saoirse had already told her she would marry him someday. Maddy didn't doubt her for a moment, though she warned her daughter to keep her options open once she was old enough to date. Teddy seemed to be interested in Bill Weasley's daughter for the moment, anyway, and Maddy didn't want her own child getting her heart broken in the meantime.

More people appeared in the doorway shortly; Arthur and Molly Weasley, who were now in their sixties and had a liberal dose of grey hair mixed in with flaming red. She held an enormous cake with both hands.

"Good Lord! It was the devil to get this thing here in one piece!" she chatted amiably, walking toward the kitchen with it. "Hello, Saoirse!"

"Hi," Saoirse said, still looking upward where Teddy had recently been. Sirius, who was now chatting with Arthur and Harry, looked over at her. "I think Victoire will be here soon," he said. "According to Arthur here."

"Oh, good." Saoirse smiled. She liked Victoire despite Teddy's burgeoning attraction for her. Her mother's admonition to keep the _sight_ a secret kept her from belting out to her friend that she would someday be married to him, but she couldn't help having a bit of a smug attitude whenever Vic mentioned him.

Once Ron and Bill's families arrived, various groups congregated throughout the house, discussing Ministry affairs, school and the old days. All the kids hung out in Reg and Saoirse's rooms upstairs. They had all brought presents for Maddy's birthday, despite her plea for donations to Saint Mungo's in lieu of anything for herself. A sideboard in the dining room became the receptacle for the brightly wrapped gifts.

The women gathered in the kitchen, sipping prosecco while wrapping up lunch preparations. Finally, everything was ready, and they managed to get everyone in the kitchen together. Arthur blessed the food before they fixed plates. The day had turned out beautifully, so most people decided to sit outdoors and eat. Once everyone had been served, Maddy filled her own plate up, poured some more to drink, and joined Sirius, who was sitting under a large tree next to Harry.

He was in the middle of telling a story about James and the original Marauders, and one of many detentions they had served after being caught by the old caretaker Pringle and taken to Dumbledore by the scruffs of their necks. Remus had (naturally) talked his way out of that one, a feat made more possible by the fact that Pringle's two hands were already tied up grabbing Sirius and James's collars. He hauled them off, holding on as if they were a couple of pheasants to be plucked and dressed by Dumbledore, and was immensely disappointed when he couldn't witness their shame.

Dumbledore had, instead, sent the old caretaker on his way, and kept James and Sirius in his office. He sat on the edge of his desk and told the pair about a covert group he had founded to combat the growing threat to the wizarding world. He called it the Order of the Phoenix. The two were preparing for NEWTs and would be leaving school shortly. Sirius had dreams of becoming an auror, but was growing increasingly disenfranchised with the layers of red tape that bound the Ministry from doing much useful. The Order would be a perfect way to fight Voldemort and his lackeys. James agreed. The two left, feeling jubilant about their post-graduate lives, which had been taken care of in the space of a half-hour, and gave Pringle a cheery wave on the way back to their dormitories.

_A few students still wandered the halls here and there, despite the late hour. One, a small dark-haired girl, was being bullied by a red-head. She looked up in surprise to see Sirius standing behind the troublemaker. He brushed a strand of dark hair out of his eyes, his own trademark move best compared to Prongs's hair ruffling, and smiled down at her. _

"_Little ginger, this one here giving you trouble?" he joked. The smaller dark-haired girl couldn't take her eyes off him. The red-head turned around abruptly._

"_She hit me."_

_Dark-hair rolled her eyes. "I did not, you git."_

"_Well," Sirius said, "you expect me to believe that this sweet young thing laid a hand to you in anger?" He grinned at the dark-haired girl, who had to be a first year. They all looked so … small at that age. Ginger was at least a few years older, and he wasn't about to put up with that unfair advantage._

"_What are you, a prefect?" the girl said, snorting. _

"_No," Sirius said. He leaned in closer. "Worse. I'm a marauder. We make prefects quake in their boots, don't we, Prongs?"_

_James rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Pads, we need to talk to Moony and Wormtail about all this."_

"_Right, sweetheart. You'll kindly keep your hands off my future wife, or you'll have me to deal with." He winked at the little girl, who was no longer cowed by him, but regarded him with speculation. "Now, away with you."_

_The ginger-haired girl shuffled off with one last threatening look over her shoulder toward the other girl. Sirius looked evenly at her to let her know he wouldn't forget. Then he turned back to the other one._

"_Y'know, you do look a bit like the man I'm going to marry," the girl said bluntly._

_Sirius grinned. "Well, if I were ever going to marry, it would certainly be you I'd pick, m'dear. Which house are you? I'll walk you back. Go on, Prongs. I'll meet up with you in a few."_

"_Hufflepuff."_

"_Hufflepuff?" he said in mock horror. "Surely not!"_

"_What's wrong with Hufflepuff?" she asked. _

_Sirius saw Ginger lying in wait down the hallway, now with a few friends, and took the girl's hand in his. He clasped it gently as he walked her down the corridor._

"_Well, nothing's wrong with it, I don't suppose. It's not Gryffindor, though." _

"_Well, Gryffindor's not all that," she retorted. "Hufflepuffs are vastly underrated."_

"_You're probably right. You're all too clever for your own good. So when do I have the honor of asking for your hand?"_

"_Oh, whenever you want. We're going to have a few kids, I suppose. One we'll call Regulus, I think." Now he couldn't tell if she was being cheeky or not. Surely she was. But _Regulus_?_

"_Well, here we are. Your chamber awaits, milady."_

"_Thanks. Can I do something?"_

"_You surely may. What?"_

"_Lean down a little."_

_He did, and she kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks. I expect I'll see you at the wedding?" She grinned, exposing a rather wicked sense of humor that he wouldn't have known an eleven year old to possess._

"_You will." Sirius stood up tall and bowed gallantly before taking off to discuss his future career with Prongs and the others._

"I remember that," Maddy said now. She gnawed on a piece of chicken. "Next time I saw you was before the wedding, turned out."

"Bloody cheek. You've known all these years?"

"Not _known_, necessarily. But I figured it had to be you. Thought I'd have a bit of fun with you, dear. Bloody hell, you were handsome." She wiped a greasy hand with a serviette.

Harry laughed. He always enjoyed being around the two of them, listening to their easy banter and enjoying the affection that had always been there between them.

"What, I'm not now?"

"Of course. In a much more, er, _mature _way." She winked at Harry and Ginny. "And I took care of Ginger all on my own, thank you very much. You'll be surprised to know that was really her name."

"Figures."

"And I wanted to kiss you on the lips, but I wasn't brave enough. I _so_ regretted that later."

A cool breeze blew up, sending the paper serviette flying. Everyone quietened down at the same time, coincidentally, and Sirius realized they'd forgotten something important.

"We haven't toasted. We have to do that." He held up his glass. "In memory of all those who've gone on before us. Prongs. Moony. Regulus. Kreacher."

Maddy went next. "Tonks. Albus. Severus. My mum."

Molly : "Fred. Emmeline. Gideon and Fabian."

Arthur: "Mad-Eye. Caradoc. The Bones family."

More voices spoke up. "Benjy. Marlene. Dorcas. Frank and Alice." Teddy spoke up softly, repeating his parents' names, and added, "Granddad." Andromeda seconded it.

Harry went last. "Cedric. Dobby. Scrimgeour. Mum and Dad."

"And anyone we've left off," Sirius said. "Bless them all, wherever they are now." Everyone raised a glass, even the children with their pumpkin juice.

#

That evening, Maddy and Sirius went to bed, exhausted.

"Long day, huh?" he said, yawning.

"Mmm. How much did you tell Reg?"

"Oh, plenty. He'll have more questions, I expect. I rather liked telling him, though. We've some history together, don't we?"

"To put it mildly. Thank you for everything today, darling." She kissed him and he returned the gesture eagerly, regardless of his sleepy state. Then he laid his head on the pillow and drew her close, facing him.

"You're welcome. Amazing that was you, all those years ago. I'd told Moony about it once, but then I forgot. You're really quite something, you know that?"

She laughed. "Me? I'd say you are. I love you more than I could ever tell you. Not that I get tired of trying." She kissed him.

"I'm thankful for you, Mad, and I love you just as much. I can't believe how much it's changed my life, knowing you."

"Well, same here."

They lay in silence for a few minutes.

"Saoirse's seen the boy she's going to marry," Maddy said.

"When?"

"Who knows? I know who it is, though."

"Well, spill it, so I can instill some terror in his little heart beforehand."

"Teddy Lupin."

"Oh! Well, she could do worse. Though with that purple hair, he looks a bit like some layabout."

Maddy laughed. "Hark who's talking! You with that long, hippie-looking hair."

"My hair is very stylish, thank you."

"Well, yes. Didn't bother my mum any, either. So you lay off Teddy."

"Teddy Lupin. I'll have to think about that one."

"Ah well, don't stress over it. Probably a long way off."

He kissed her softly. "Any more declarations?"

"Such as?"

"I don't know. Just things you know and have been keeping to yourself."

"Can't think of anything." She kissed him back, enjoying the warmth of his lips against hers.

"Care for a repeat of last night?" he went on.

"I would love to repeat that experience. Got your wand handy? We don't want to scare our children. On second thought, maybe we should be really loud. It'll be years before they go near a member of the opposite sex, guaranteed."

"How about we relive that elevator scene? I rather enjoy looking at it from time to time."

Maddy laughed again. "Yes, I know. And then you emerge from the pensieve all hot and bothered."

"Never heard you complain!"

"Who said I was complaining? I like you that way."

"On second thought, we'll save that one for when the kids are back at school and we have the house to ourselves of an evening. I'll take it the more traditional way just now." He pulled her on top of him.

They made love slowly, his last gift to her for the day. Afterwards, Maddy lay in his arms, enjoying the way he sleepily caressed her body with his hands and the way he looked at her. She wondered when they would see James and Lily again; she hoped it would be many years away, after several grandchildren and a life spent together in peace. Thank God their kids were too young to remember Voldemort. As she began to fall asleep and thoughts became more fragmented in her mind, she remembered one thing in particular, a feeling so intense, that tended to come and go when it felt like it. The joy she felt to be with Sirius in heaven. They would experience it again someday, but she was perfectly content to be his wife here. Whatever visions she'd been meant to have were fulfilled, and that part of her was done. She was happy.

Sirius watched his wife fall asleep, smiling as he remembered the image of a little girl in a drawing room with a mouth covered in pumpkin juice. A tiny first-year kissing his cheek. A grown woman, watching over him to keep dementors from attacking. The first night at Grimmauld Place, stealing looks at her during the Order meeting. How she looked the first night he took her to bed. The beauty of their wedding day, and lying with her during the night, watching the moon settle over the ocean. And years later, he was still here with her now. She was every bit as beautiful, the mother to his children and sweet wife to him.

He leaned over. "I still think you should have been a Gryffindor."

"Go to sleep, mo chuisle," she murmured. "Maybe you should have been a Hufflepuff."

"Never," he whispered back, and laughed. "Goodnight, darling. Love you."

" 'Night, Siri. I love you, too."

The End

**A/N: Wow, I cannot believe I'm done with this story. It's been very close to my heart since I started, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. I want to thank my husband, the sweetest and most wonderful man in the world, for being so supportive -watching the kids so I could write, not to mention reading, commenting (on what men would do..especially the scene with Tanya) and just plain enjoying the story. And always asking when the next chapter would be out. He's **_**mo chuisle**_**- my pulse. **

**Thanks so much to all who took the time to review. Especially Tate Dean, Kat183 (who always cracks me up with her hilarious take on things), Bunny of Despair, TwilightEclps, momoirotan, Leent and The Poet's Muse for all the wonderful comments and words of encouragement. You have no idea how much I appreciate and learned from them. Most special thanks go to Phoebe2, though. I became friends with you through writing, and I'm so happy to say we're friends IRL now, too. I always eagerly await reviews from you. By reading your stories, I have improved my own writing and developed the courage to take the story in ways I might not have done otherwise. You're a wonderful person and confidante, and I treasure your friendship. Oh, and I *wish* I had a tenth of your ability! Love you, gf! (and thanks for introducing me to Prosecco)**


End file.
